By Brian Howey

“Don’t let it bring you down, it’s only castles burning.”

- Neil Young

NASHVILLE, Ind. – America has a staggering budget deficit of $1.6 trillion. It is fighting two wars on the other side of the planet. It has apocalyptic public debt of more than $12.5 trillion, which, according to the U.S. National Debt Clock, increases $3.87 billion a day. Wall Street has been in the hands of snake oil salesmen we don’t trust with Yale and Harvard degrees. The U.S. auto industry came close to collapse and Toyota seems to be trying.

There were 75.8 million Americans born during the Baby Boom years (1946 – 1964) who are entering the pay back years for their Social Security. I think of how many prescription drugs they will be gobbling, how many doctors, surgeons and nurses they will need as they grow old, and I shudder.

Brian Howey

 On top of these amazing demographics, we have a political situation in Washington that is in shambles. President Obama is pushing through health reforms that supporters like U.S. Rep. Baron Hill say will reduce the federal deficit by $132 billion over the first 10 years and up to $1.3 trillion in the decade beyond. Republican opponents of the health reforms say they are budget busters (how can anything be more busted than it is now?) and want Congress to “start over.”

 Now, for the real warning. I’m reading Niall Ferguson’s analysis in Foreign Affairs magazine entitled “Complexity and Collapse.” When we talk about waning empires, most of us think they occur over decades or centuries. But it took the Roman empire a mere five decades to collapse, with the city of Rome reduced by 75 percent in that timeframe. The Ming Dynasty in China dissolved much quicker. “The transition from Confucian equipoise to anarchy took little more than a decade,” he writes. The Bourbon monarchy in France “passed from triumph to terror with astonishing rapidity” with its role in the American Revolution to 1789, when a financial crisis summoned the Estates-General which “unleashed a political chain reaction that led to a swift collapse.”

 At the beginning of the 20th Century, the Hapsburg, Ottoman and Romanov empires quickly died following The Great War, a conflict no one expected before August 1914. The British empire dwindled from Yalta in 1945 to 1956 when 13 colonies spun into independence.

 And within most of our lives, there were the Soviets. No one in March 1985 was predicting the Soviet Union would unravel and collapse in a mere six years, including my colleagues and professors at the Indiana University Russian and East European Institute. But that’s what happened.

 Ferguson writes, “If empires are complex systems that sooner or later succumb to sudden and catastrophic malfunctions, rather than cycling sedately from Arcadia to Apogee to Armageddon, what are the implications for the United States today?”

 And this “today” comes a mere year and a half after Wall Street and the world wide financial structure came within hours of collapse. Ferguson explains that it is the “precipitous and unexpected fall that should most concern policymakers and citizens. Most imperial falls are associated with fiscal crisis. All the above cases were marked by the sharp imbalances between revenues and expenditures, as well as difficulties with financing public debt.”

 All a Hoosier has to do is go one state west to find Illinois with an $11 billion deficit, with Gov. Quinn proposing the borrowing of $4 billion for a short-term patch. U.S. public debt is expected to reach $14.3 trillion in 2019. Interest payments that you, dear citizen, must pay, will go from 8 percent of federal revenues to 17 percent during the same span.

 Ferguson writes that while the numbers are “bad,” in the “realm of political entities, the role of perception is just as critical.” Here’s his scary prediction: “One day, a seemingly random piece of bad news – perhaps a negative report by a rating agency – will make headlines during an otherwise quiet news cycle. Suddenly, it will be not just a few policy wonks who worry about the sustainability of U.S. fiscal policy, but also the public at large.”

When I look at the petty gamesmanship in Washington and the race for advantage heading into the November elections, I am coming to the conclusion that this past generation of political leadership has exposed America to dangers in ways few of us truly understand. But these anxiety pangs are throbbing across the state at Tea Party events and those of us with progressive views.

I hope I’m not the butterfly in the Amazon.

The columnist publishes at howeypolitics.com.

A new Churubusco Police car definitely catches attention when officers are out cruising and patrolling the town.

The 2010 Dodge Charger was purchased at the beginning of the year via a government awarded bid from Fletcher Chrysler in Franklin, Ind., and went into service around the first of March.

If you’re old enough to remember the boxy squad cars of yesteryear, then you definitely remember seeing the first squad car that looked like something out of a science fiction movie. This addition to the fleet is no different and raised some eyebrows and questions about the car.

One of the reasons the Charger was purchased was because the Ford Crown Victoria – that much of the public has become accustomed to seeing as a police car – will no longer be produced in 2011. Price was also a consideration – the Crown Vic would have been $22,000 without any options, while the Charger price came in at $21,200 with some options.

The most critical option was the the extra air bag system installed in the car, according to Town Marshal Chad Fulkerson.

“Obviously we have to drive at high rates of speed sometimes and I want to make sure extra safety features were installed in the car in the event of an accident to protect my officers.” Fulkerson said.

“Some people may or may not like the black rims on the car, but that was a cost saving measure, as well,” Fulkerson said. Many of the other options are simply aesthetic and not the thrills and frills one might believe are an “option,” he added.

(Indianapolis)–Lt. Governor Becky Skillman has announced that a second round of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) will be made available to smaller Indiana cities, towns and counties as part of a competitive grant process. The Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED) will begin accepting applications on March 8, 2010. A total of $4.8 million will be available across five areas of interest.

 “The first round of this program was highly successful in helping local governments across Indiana lead by example in energy efficiency,” said Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. “We hope this second round, with its expanded areas of interest will be even more successful.”

 The EECBG program is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) and administered in Indiana by OED. Eligible applicants should be designated by USDOE as non-entitlement entities, which are cities and towns with less than 35,000 in population and counties with populations of 200,000 or less.

 Currently, first round applicants are being informed of their awards. For the second round, there are five areas of interest:

 Area 1: Energy Efficient Traffic and Street Lights

· Eligible projects include LED technology to replace inefficient lighting for pedestrian signals, traffic signals, and street lights

· Cap of $250,000 maximum per applicant.

Area 2: Lighting Retrofits for Government-Owned Structures

· Eligible projects include energy efficient lighting upgrades and lighting/occupancy sensor controls for government-owned structures.

· Cap of $100,000 maximum per applicant.

· An energy audit is recommended, but not required

· Cost of energy audit can be claimed as an eligible, reimbursable expense.

Area 3: Structure Retrofits (excluding lighting) for Government-Owned Structures

· Eligible projects include energy efficient HVAC, and insulation

· Renewable energy projects are not eligible projects.

· Cap of $200,000 maximum per applicant.

· An energy audit is recommended, but not required

· Cost of energy audit can be claimed as an eligible, reimbursable expense.

Area 4: Waste water treatment facilities energy efficient retrofits

· Eligible projects include energy efficient pump and motor upgrades and other upgrades that improve plant efficiency

· Cap of $250,000 maximum per applicant.

· Be aware that the deadline for completing your project is less 8 months, so put together applications accordingly.

Area 5: Energy Management System

· Eligible projects include energy efficient management measures such as lighting controls or energy management systems

· Cap of $100,000 maximum per applicant.

 The purpose of the Indiana EECBG Program is to assist eligible entities in creating and implementing strategies to reduce fossil fuel emissions in a manner that is environmentally sustainable, reduce the total energy use of the eligible entities, increase energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption and reduce energy costs through efficiency improvements and create new jobs and increased productivity to spur economic growth and community development.

 Applicants can apply for grants in more than one area, but only one per area. Guidelines for the program and the link to the online application process will be available beginning March 8, 2010 at www.Energy.IN.gov. Completed applications must be submitted by April 9, 2010. Successful applicants should be notified in early May pending USDOE approval.

From The Jasper Herald

By BILL POWELL

Herald Staff Writer

Gerry Giesler knew her 45-year-old son, Jim, was in some kind of distress when he called her in Jasper just after 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

“He was just breathing so heavy,” said Gerry, 75.

That will happen when you are in the middle of one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded and you are outside watching your house twist, your street wave up and down and parked cars bobbing in unison.

Jasper native Jim Giesler is a businessman who has lived in Chile the last 10 years. He called his mother from his home in Los Angeles, Chile, during the magnitude-8.8 quake, which occurred at 3:34 a.m. in central Chile.

Jim, whose father was the late William Giesler, was alone at that terrible moment the ground was shaking. His wife and three children were vacationing at a resort one and a half hours to the north, just past Concepcion and extremely close to the epicenter of the quake.

Photo courtesy of Giesler family; Indiana native Jim Giesler and his family, including his wife, Dr. Lorena Soto, son William, 11, and daughters Daniella, 9, and Emily, 3, live in Los Angeles, Chile, one and a half hours south of where the earthquake hit Saturday.

The school year was about to start in Chile, so Jim’s wife, Dr. Lorena Soto, and their children, William “Willy,” 11, Daniella “Dani”, 9, and Emily, 3, went on a short holiday in the Concepcion area with Jim’s in-laws, his sister-in-law and her children.

It was another two hours before Lorena got through to Jim on her cell phone to say everyone was OK.

Jim is amazed his land-line phone company stayed in service throughout the ordeal.

“The part about the earthquake and everything shaking was scary, but the worst part is I had to wait two hours and 15 minutes until my family called me and let me know they were OK,” Jim said this morning in a phone call to The Herald from Los Angeles.

Jim learned later that four hours before a tsunami from the quake decimated the beachfront area where they had been, his family had ridden horses and had supper there. By the time the quake struck, the family had retired to a cabin in the hills. They ran outside during the quake and were told to seek refuge in their vehicles until the shaking stopped, Gerry said.

In the morning, Jim said, his wife saw boats headed out to sea. Upon closer inspection, he added, many of the dots on the water were cabins and the roofs of houses.

Lorena and her father, who is a dairy farmer, knew all the back roads in the region. Using them, the family’s two vehicles crawled around dislodged boulders and made it back to Jim in Los Angeles.

The newer construction in Los Angeles, including homes in Jim’s neighborhood, was built to withstand earthquakes. His home had reinforced concrete pillars at the corners with walls filled with brick and more reinforced concrete pillars above. Though their kitchen was a disaster area — plates were on the floor and the refrigerator had walked across the floor, dresser drawers were dumped and the upstairs toilet held no water after the quake, the Giesler home remained structurally sound despite the twisting Jim watched.

“My car was hopping up and down and my pickup truck parked out on the street looked like it was a boat with the front end and the back end going up and down,” Jim said. Water that rushed past onto the street was from his neighbor’s swimming pool. Most pools lost about 18 inches of water from the shaking, he said.

Saturday was a day of strong aftershocks and “it just felt like we were moving all day,” Jim said. Emily stuck close to her parents that day.

“Little Willy called me this morning at 7 o’clock and said, ‘Grandma, we just had another tremor!’ ” Gerry said.

There were 18 fatalities in Los Angeles, Jim said, adding that most of the victims were elderly. Most of the buildings that toppled there were old and made of adobe brick.

Lorena has been treating victims at the hospital where she works. One older wing is closed and there is no electricity, so some victims have been treated outside and in a gymnasium area.

Jim has grown a bumper crop of corn in a garden at his in-laws’ home. He took that corn and delivered it in his pickup truck to an orphanage in town. Dairy farmers cannot sell their cows’ milk, he said, so everyone in town is getting free milk from local farms.

One of Jim’s neighbors with a deep well allowed everyone to obtain water until that utility was back in service; people were lined up to accept his generosity.

Jim is also the president of the local country club. One of the greens on the golf course is split down the middle, but that’s a secondary thing, he said.

Banks have been closed since the event and many people in Chile are coping without money because the earthquake occurred at month’s end, before residents had received their monthly pay they were due to receive today.

“Life is just different now,” Jim said. “My neighbors are still outside talking to each other.”

Hot topics among Jim’s friends and neighbors include speculation about when gas stations and banks will reopen and fretting over how they can get money to the people who work for them.

By Brian Howey

FRANKLIN, Ind. – It’s been fun watching the national press cover Our Governor – Our Man Mitch. They make observations that many of us locals take for granted. Or if we made them, his press people would bar us at the door. For instance, in a recent Politico article entitled “Mitch the Knife,” long-time GOP operative and Crown Point native Mary Matalin noted that our governor has a “giant brain” and “steely courage.”

Gov. Mitch Daniels

This was meant as a compliment. She also said that Daniels has “unparalleled policy depth combined with razor sharp political skills.” When I heard this description, I kept thinking back to the day when our governor called Speaker B. Patrick Bauer a “car bomber” (still one of my favorite moments during this governorship).

Hoosier GOP operative Anne Hathaway asks, “Do we want a president that’s pretty, or do we want one who can get the job done?” I would never call our governor “pretty.” In fact, I try to avoid talking about the physical attributes of elected officials, save for the ever so telegenic Evan Bayh and Brad Ellsworth.

The Washington Post’s George Will has already consigned our governor to the title of “President Daniels” in 2013, but Will has a mixed track record of predictions. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush calls Daniels “one of the best policy-oriented governors in the U.S.” and Politico quotes an influential GOP official as saying “He’s a budget deficit hawk, but he’s also the interesting reformer.” Most reformers are interesting. Former Gov. Sarah Palin comes to mind. I can’t name a “boring” reformer.

Brian Howey

As for getting the job done, well, there’s just so much more for Mitch the Reformer to do in his remaining two legislative sessions. He’s been a good, steady governor. Greatness still awaits the final two years.

Ross Douthat, the New York Times columnist, wrote this past week that, “If Romney looks like central casting’s idea of a chief executive, Daniels resembles the character actor who plays the director of the Office of Management and Budget.”

If I were to cast someone to play President Daniels in a movie, it would be Ron Howard. Douthat says something that no Indiana reporter would ever write: If Daniels were to become president, “he’d be the baldest president since Dwight D. Eisenhower.” First, our governor is not bald. And I don’t believe we’ve ever had a bald governor. I believe it best to just move on here. If anyone is an expert on bald men with giant brains, it would be Matalin.

Our governor told Douthat, “I’ve never seen a president of the United States when I look in the mirror.” Of course he doesn’t, he sees an aging Opie Taylor.

The Mitch for President phenomenon has more cred now than, say, the Mellencamp for Senate thing flitting about the Internet. Since our governor’s reelection, he and his staff always do the “aw shucks” thing, saying they are honored to be mentioned. A couple of months ago, I asked an extremely informed and reliable Daniels’ source, “There’s still nothing to this Blade for president thing, right?” The response: “Well …”

So all the talk is fueled by a legitimate power source as well as a giant brain wrapped in a fine head of hair.

Here’s my take on this: Our governor does whatever it takes to get a Republican Indiana House elected this November. Then, if that comes to pass, January through April 2011 we watch the most extraordinary long session in modern Indiana General Assembly history. It will be like Unigov joins Major Moves joins A-Plus joins Education Revolution 2.0.

If those stars align, and we see the national GOP on track for a Sarah Palin nomination, I think our governor antes up. He might use the reform session to sling himself into the national orbit. Our governor has the intellectual capacity to build the kind of campaign that the Obama-Axelrod-Plouffe team did in 2006.

I’ve said this a number of times, but Daniels has the ability to play on par with Obama. There are so many similarities to the way they govern, the way they campaign, write their own speeches, TV ads, etc. It would be an extraordinary show.

I think the better bet is that a Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich emerges as a frontrunner and our governor is on the top rung of every veep list out there. That’s a three-month campaign as opposed to a two-year slog that would certainly violate the Cheri Daniels term limits.

The columnist publishes at www.howeypolitics.com.

CANI (Community Action of Northeast Indiana) has hired six new staff members. Nicole Easley and Julie Miller have joined CANI in administration. Vanessa Hayden, Denise Warnock and Linda Manu have been hired in Head Start. Charlein Hughett has joined the Community Services division.

CANI helps communities, families, and individuals remove the causes and conditions of poverty. For more information about CANI and the services provided, visit the Web site www.canihelp.org.

CANI (Community Action of Northeast Indiana) Director of Administration & Development Steve Hoffman has been chosen as one the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly’s “40 Under 40.”

The award is given to local young professionals under age 40 who have been recognized by their peers as dedicated leaders. Over the years Steve has been promoted and taken on new positions at CANI with increased responsibility. As the Director of Administration and Development he is responsible for overseeing the fiscal, human resources, planning, development, information technology, and clerical departments.

In September 2009, he was awarded the Foellinger Foundation’s Carl D. Rolfsen Stewardship Award for his volunteer work at the Southeast Youth Council’s Cornerstone Youth Center (Monroeville). He was chosen out of 28 nominees recognized this year for work on behalf of local non-profit organizations.

Steve and fellow winners will be honored at an awards event April 29.

CANI helps communities, families, and individuals remove the causes and conditions of poverty. For more information about CANI and the services provided, visit the Web site www.canihelp.org.

Kids today live in a different world where they socialize, post photographs, videos, chat with friends, friends of friends and yes some times strangers. Millions of kids are doing it everyday and for the majority of them they’re doing just fine, but it certainly is not a danger-free zone.

We’d like to give you a top 10 list of things that can help keep your children safe online while still enjoying this great thing called the Internet.

Block Explicit Sites

By far and away this is one of the hardest things to control for any parent because the ‘typical’ browsers in use today lack the controls needed to safeguard children against seeing the wrong content.

For instance, your child might have a homework project that requires them to write about the White House. The majority of people are probably going to type in www.whitehouse.com and expect to see just that – the White House. But in reality the correct address is www.whitehouse.gov and thankfully the .com website was recently shut down because it was filled with pornographic images and explicit material.

Our suggestion?

Download a child-friendly content-filtering Web browser, such as Crayon Crawler, KidRocket KidSafe, or Noah’s Web. Noah’s Web comes with three browsers: one for children ages 4 to 12, one for teens, and one for parents.

Monitor Instant Messages

If there is one thing kids love as much as texting, it’s instant messaging, either in online chat rooms or via IM tools such as ICQ or Yahoo! Messenger.

Start by telling your kids to never chat with someone they do not know. A chat room is far more dangerous for kids than an instant messenger because it’s filled with different kinds of people from all walks of life. Both good and bad.

Instant messengers on the other hand are a bit more safe because kids add friends whom they already know, but it’s still important to monitor their activity.

One way to control how much a person knows about your child is their profile. Keep it as nondescript as possible. Hobbies and interests are okay, but age, location and sex are not.

Stop Spam

Spam is no good for anyone on matter their age or gender, but objectionable spam can easily get into your child’s email with links to pornographic sites.

We highly recommend downloading Mozilla’s free Thunderbird email client. It works much in the same way that Outlook Express does, but has a fantastic spam filtering tool to keep your kids as safe as possible.

Safety Suites

To get almost everything above, you might want to try out child specific safety programs such as CyberPatrol or NetNanny. Both offer a wealth of protection features, time controls, and activity monitoring.

Quick Tip: Try before you buy. Both of these programs offer a free trial version and you might find that one has features more to your liking than the other. Which can save you some money in the long run.

Each of these tools are just that – a tool and we cannot guarantee with 100% accuracy that it will keep our children safe, but one sure bet is for parents and guardians to stay involved with our children and remind them that the Internet is fun, but they need to use caution when they’re online.

 Article Contributed

Community Action of Northeast Indiana (CANI) is seeking nominations for the 4^th annual William G. Williams Award to be presented May 4 at the CANI RECAP event.

The purpose of the award is to honor individuals who demonstrate a commitment to helping communities, families, and individuals remove the conditions of poverty. The award was first created to honor the efforts of the now late William G. Williams, the first executive director of the Allen County Economic Opportunity Council, the former name of CANI.

In addition to Mr. Williams, past winners include current CANI Executive Director Joe Conrad and posthumously John Beeson of New Castle. Beeson was an employee of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and a champion of the poor.

An award winner will be chosen based on the significance of his or her contributions in one or more of the following areas:

• Helping low-income people become more self-sufficient;
• Improving the conditions in which low-income people live;
• Helping low-income people own a stake in their community;
• Creating partnerships among supporters and providers of service to low-income people
• Increasing CANI’s capacity to achieve results;
• Helping low-income people, especially vulnerable populations, achieve their potential by strengthening family and other supportive systems.

 Nomination forms are available on CANI’s Web site at www.canihelp.org , or by calling Lauren Caggiano at (260) 760-8924. Return the completed form to: William G. Williams Award, CANI, PO Box 10570, Fort Wayne, IN 46853-0570. Applications must be received by April 1.

The winner will be announced at the CANI RECAP, the agency’s annual meeting on May 4 at Ceruti’s Summit Park. Community leaders, board members, agency partners and donors are invited to attend this event, when CANI will Report on our achievements in 2009, Educate attendees about goals, Celebrate the accomplishments of clients, Appreciate board members, donors, volunteers, and agency partners and Present plans for 2010.

CANI’s mission is incredibly vital to our communities as we work to help families in need each day. CANI participates in economic development, family development, mentoring, adult education, and job training. We provide families access to quality childcare, preschool education, emergency food and utility assistance, affordable and livable housing, and medical and dental care.

While the snow falls, members of the Columbia City Farmer’s Market are busy planning for another successful season.

Market members (from left) Chris Lilly, Nick Hiss and Tiffany Herron recently met at BrewHa to finalize a vendor contract and other details for the market, which officially opens on Saturday, May 8 from 8 to noon around the courthouse.

CANI (Community Action of Northeast Indiana) is proud to announce a new program that will make the dream of home ownership come true for families in our service area.

In simple terms, CANI will purchase, rehabilitate and resell homes to qualifying families in the counties that we serve. The goal is to make attractive homes available to families and support the stability of neighborhoods. Home buyer education will be provided to guide potential home buyers through the process. CANI will hire local contractors to remodel the homes prior to buyers moving in.

CANI will market the homes to interested families for purchase at a price below market value. The selected homes will be three or more bedrooms, approximately 1,200 square feet, and centrally located near everyday conveniences.

Initially, CANI will concentrate its efforts in DeKalb, Noble, and Whitley counties. The agency intends to purchase and rehabilitate two homes by the end of July.

To qualify, families must desire to purchase a home in one of the three counties, meet income guidelines, and obtain financing from a lending institution.

For more information, contact Barb Cayce at (260) 423-3546 ext. 257. Applications are now being accepted.

CANI helps communities, families, and individuals remove the causes and conditions of poverty. For more information about CANI and the services provided, visit the website www.canihelp.org.

The biggest educational event at CES every year, showcasing the talents of students in various venues such as art, dance, writing and science took place recently and below are the winners in each category and some photos of these very bright and talented young kids.

Martial Arts Awards

Grade Level Winners (Medal & Certificate)

Kindergarten: Dawson Meeks
1st: Levi Skinner
2nd: Caleb Blake
3rd: Abigail Erwin
4th: Andrew Boggess
5th: Dalton Walker

Experienced Winners (Medal & Certificate)

3rd: Brooklyn Kelly
5th: Trevor Kelly

Young Authors

Grade Level Winners (Medal & Certificate)

Kindergarten: Isabella Zuk & Janae Gff
1st: Delia Norris
2nd: Richard Lonero & Cassidy Geise
3rd: Sophia Gebhart & Tyler Elliott
4th: Clarissa Hogeston & Jaydrian Clouse
5th: Brehtt Brown & Sarah Russell

Illustrator Award (Gift Card, Medal & Certificate)

K-1: Melanie Gebhart
2-3: Fiona Nelson
4-5: Destiny Mascho

PTO Literacy (Gift Card, Medal & Certificate)

K-1: Katy Krider & Aaron Jacquay
2-3: Olivia Whan
4-5: Morgan Gebhart

Storyteller Award (Busco family $50 Savings Bond, Medal & Certificate)

3rd: Janaya Winebrenner
4th: Cora Pence
5th: Jeremiah Geiger

Art Awards

3rd Grade Winners (Medal & Certificate)

Still Life: Miranda Sturgis
Landscape: Emma Arend
3D Sculpture: Mason Gray

4th Grade Winners (Medal & Certificate)

Still Life: Clara Betley
Landscape: Isabelle Hogeston
3D Sculpture: Brein Gross

5th Grade Winners (Medal & Certificate)

Still Life: Nash Wood
Landscape: Kelsie Newsom
3D Sculpture: Jakob Spieth

Best of Show
(Given by the Doug Brown Family ~ Gift Card, Medal & Certificate)

Isaac Geiger

Bontrager Creative Award
(Given by Mrs. Bontrager ~ Art set, Medal & Certificate)

Delaney Peters

Digital Photography

Grade Level Winners (Medal & Certificate)

3rd Grade First Place: Brianna Baughman
3rd Grade Second Place: Jacob Cummings

4th Grade First Place: Harrison Brady
4th Grade Second Place: Zoe King

5th Grade First Place: Brittney Elliott
5th Grade Second Place: Isabelle Turner

Digital Dynamo

3rd Grade: Rebecca Schmidt

Science Awards

Grade Level Winners (Medal & Certificate)

Kindergarten: Joy Royer
1st: Luke McClure
2nd: Haley Buckles
3rd: Parker Curry
4th: Daulton Brockman
5th: Autumn Gray

Churubusco Family Dentistry Award (Medal, Certificate & Family Membership to Children’s Zoo)

4th: Dalton Blessing

ProSystems Engineering Award (Trophy, Monitary Award, Medal & Certificate)

First Place: Bryce Geiger ~ 4th Grade ($30.00)
Second Place: McKayla Clark ~ 3rd Grade ($20.00)

BRC Award (Gift Card, Medal & Certificate)

Kayla Neely ~ 4th Grade
Brayden Simmons ~ 4th Grade
Bailee Osborne ~ 3rd Grade

Dave Zumbrun Memorial Award (Best Oral Presentation – Medal, Certificate & $15 Gift Card)

Laura Nagle ~ 4th Grade

Regional Science Fair Winners (Ribbons, Medal & Certificate)

Maddy Dreibelbis ~ 2nd Grade
Levi McClure ~ 3rd Grade
Bryce Geiger ~ 4th Grade
Brayden Simmons ~ 4th Grade
Kayla Neely ~ 4th Grade

Regional Science Fair Alternates (Ribbons, Medal & Certificate)

Laura Nagle ~ 4th Grade
J.D. Krider ~ 3rd Grade
Joy Royer ~ Kindergarten (PM)

Music Awards

Grade Level Winners (Medal & Certificate)

3rd Instrumental: Katie Shambaugh
3rd Vocal: Bekah Huelsenbeck
4th Instrumental: Ashley Uecker
4th Vocal: Shaniah Ramsey
5th Instrumental: Austin Lampe
5th Vocal: Michael Bracho

Young Instrumentalist Award ($10 Gift Card & Certificate)

Cameron Crick

New Era Showmanship Award ($10 Gift Card & Certificate from New Era)

Leah Miller

Steppin’ Out Award ($10 Gift Card & Certificate from Mrs. Lough)

Austin Lampe

“Story Time Slime” of Steve Spangler Science national fame is coming to Manchester College on Saturday, March 13 with a professional workshop for teachers of early learners in pre-school through third grade.

Teachers will participate in hands-on exercises led by dynamic national speaker Julie Gintzler, who integrates children’s literature with science. The methods are current, best practice and fun, designed to connect science with the stories children love, and nurture curiosity.

 Conference organizers caution area teachers to make their reservations quickly, as only 80 slots are available for this Early Learner Conference scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the College Union, on the east side of the North Manchester campus.

Steve Spangler, known for turning an ordinary bottle of soda into an erupting geyser of fun, has made hundreds of TV appearances on hands-on science and inquiry-based learning. He has an Emmy for hosting the NBC News for Kids. Learn more about “Story Time Slime” and Steve Spangler Science at www.stevespanglerscience.com.

The Early Learning Workshop will be fun for students and teachers alike, notes organizer Stacy Stetzel, instructor of education at Manchester College, with more than 300 education majors in its accredited Teacher Education program. “Children in the early childhood stage connect with the fictional stories found in children’s literature, so using that natural connection to fuel integration with science is powerful,” says Stetzel, who specializes in science education.

“This training and networking opportunity will benefit the community in many ways, starting with our children,” said Stetzel, noting that affordable, quality professional development is at a premium outside major metropolitan areas like Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. “We look forward to the Early Learner Conference being an annual event.”

The $20 fee includes:

• 6 hours of professional development, with 3 CRU credits
• Participation in 20+ ready-to-use science activities
• Teacher Workshop Kit, with instructions … and slime!
• Lunch and snacks
• Opportunities to network with other teachers
• Inspiration, rejuvenation, fun!

Register online at www.manchester.edu/academics/departments/education or call the Manchester College Department of Education at 260-982-5421. (Mail the $20 registration fee or bring it to the registration desk at the March 13 event.) Make checks payable to Manchester College.

Two people were sent to area hospitals Friday morning when a black sedan and a red Tracker collided at the intersection of 300 S and S.R. 9 just south of Albion.

Churubusco fire units were called to assist Albion Fire & EMS at the incident on the busy highway.

By Rep. Matt Bell

Last week, the Statehouse committee meetings occupied most of my time. As part of the legislative process, bills must be assigned to a committee and then pass out of the committee in order to be heard by the full House. Since bills have switched chambers, we are now hearing Senate Bills.

Rep. Matt Bell

The Senate passed out 132 bills but not all bills will be heard by the various House committees. I do, however, want to take a few minutes to explain some of the top bills coming over from the Senate.

Senate Bill (SB) 163 – Child Support Matters

Currently Indiana ranks 41st in the amount of child support collected and distributed to custodial families. Senate Bill 23 contains a number of provisions that would give the State additional tools to get support to the children who need and deserve it.

The bill would grant local prosecutors the ability to suspend some professional licenses, it would require income withholding orders to be written by a judge, and it would allow the state to intercept delinquent child support payments if the delinquent payer wins more than $1,200 in one of Indiana’s casinos. It is critical that we equip state and local officials with every tool we can in order to direct support where it belongs.

SB 23 – Unemployment Insurance

The labor and unemployment committee met Thursday to begin hearing testimony on delaying the unemployment insurance tax increase. Last year, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation that raised taxes on small, medium and large Hoosier employers by roughly $750 million over the next two years. Not one House Republican member supported this huge tax increase.

This year, the Senate passed SB 23 that would delay the tax increase by one year. If SB 23 does not pass then more than 72,000 small businesses (businesses with 1-49 employees) will see a tax increase anywhere from $9 to $511 per employee.

I believe a tax increase of this magnitude is simply irresponsible during these tough economic times when Hoosier employers are already struggling to grow and retain jobs. I can assure you that I will do all I can to delay this egregious tax increase. House Democrat leadership has scheduled no future committee date to debate this issue.

SB 285 – Sale and Tracking of Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine

Indiana is 2nd in the nation for the number of methamphetamine (commonly referred to as “meth”) labs discovered. Meth is a highly addictive drug and SB 285 is an attempt to restrain its use and manufacturing in Indiana.

The legislation would strengthen the current system put in place to track ephedrine and pseudoephedrine (PSE), the common ingredients used to make meth, by requiring most retailers to electronically transmit information on the sale of ephedrine and PSE to a statewide tracking system.

Additionally, employees would be required to advise customers of the consequences of purchasing more that the lawfully allowed amount, 3.6 grams of either drug in one day or 9 grams in a 30-day period.

SB 224 – Electronic Dissemination of Indecent Material “Sexting”

Hoosier teens face more problems than you and I ever dreamed of when we were youngsters. There has always been the typical school yard bully or the stress of passing exams, but I can’t imagine having to deal with classmates sending each other provocative imagines on their cell phones, otherwise known as “sexting.”

Currently, Indiana has no laws that cover this alarming behavior except to charge teens with felonies. Sexting is a growing problem among teens and SB 224 is aimed at stopping this recent trend.

This legislation would carve out a new, less punitive offense for a teen that “sexts.” It would give juvenile courts the ability to require the teen and the teen’s parents to attend an educational program or outpatient counseling. While these subjects are never pleasant to discuss, I feel we should deal with this issue in a commonsense manner and help Hoosier parents and youths who are trying to deal with this sensitive topic.

Ways to Stay in Touch

Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, questions or concerns as these issues, along with any others, move through the legislative process. Your comments are my most valuable tool as I review legislation and decide whether or not to support them.

Phone: 1-800-382-9841

E-mail: h83@in.gov

Letter: 200 W. Washington St. Indianapolis, IN 46204

To follow the proceedings of the Indiana General Assembly visit www.in.gov/legislative and click on “Watch Indiana General Assembly Live.”

To track legislation visit www.in.gov/legislative and under Session Information you will be able to follow bills by bill number or subject matter.

From our partner in the Whitley News Network, Talk of the Town:

Churubusco resident Tiffany LeFever was honored Wednesday with the Indiana Chamber of Commerce High School Internship of the Year Award. LeFever, a Busco graduate, finished her internship with the Leadership Whitley County program during her senior year.

For more on this story, click here.

CANI (Community Action of Northeast Indiana)’s offices will be closed February 15 in observance of Presidents’ Day. The agency will resume services on February 16.

CANI helps communities, families, and individuals remove the causes and conditions of poverty. For more information about CANI and the services provided, see www.canihelp.org.

By Rep. Matt Bell

We have reached the midway point of the 2010 legislative session. At this time, bills that have passed out of the House will switch chambers to the Senate and vice versa.

Rep. Matt Bell

Session began on Jan. 5, and it has been a whirlwind ever since. We got to work immediately and passed legislation on property tax caps and ethics reform within the first couple of weeks. Recently, bills concerning 2nd amendment rights, texting while driving and a smoking ban have all passed the House. There were 104 bills passed out of the House during the first 5 weeks of session.

This past week, we heard heated debate on House Bill (HB) 1367 involving education matters.

In an effort to keep you up to speed with legislation, I want to discuss HB 1367 in more detail as well Senate Bill (SB) 118 and Senate Bill 119.

Education Matters: House Bill (HB 1367)

Last week HB 1367 passed the House by a vote of 51-48, and it was a measure I did not support. Instead, my Republican colleagues and I supported legislation that would have allowed school corporations across the state to reallocate nearly $300 million to plug the recent reductions in school budgets. The plan would have provided language to give school corporations the flexibility to transfer dollars between various funds. For instance, under our proposal, a school corporation would be able to transfer money from the transportation fund to the school’s general fund in order to prevent teacher layoffs.

This legislation did include one stipulation. School corporations would have to agree they would not use any of the reallocated dollars for employee salary increases. I felt this was an important restriction given Indiana’s current fiscal climate. We need to be focusing all additional dollars to the classroom and ensuring that no teachers are laid off. I could not in good conscience support transferring funds without this stipulation. There is no reason to put the wants of adults over the needs of the children.

Salary freezes are not a new concept for the state. In fact, state employees have not received a salary increase in the past two years and will more than likely not receive an increase over the next two years. Additionally, the state has ceased a $15 matching program for state employee retirement funds.

Unfortunately, our plan did not receive any support from House Democrats. As we continue through this session, I can assure you that I will continue to fight to give schools every option to reallocate dollars to fill gaps in funding reductions.

Election Day Alcohol Sales: Senate Bill 118

As bills switch chambers, SB 118 is making its way over to the House and it is legislation that I co-sponsored. SB 118 would allow for alcohol to be sold on Election Days. The bill passed out of the Senate by a vote of 30-20.

As the Ranking Minority Member on Public Policy, I look forward to hearing this bill in committee sometime this week. If SB 118 passes out of committee, it will then have the opportunity to be heard by the entire House in the following weeks.

Sunday Alcohol Sale Hours: Senate Bill 119

SB 119 is another bill I co-sponsored and it is making its way over from the Senate. SB 119 would allow restaurants and bars to sell alcohol until 3 a.m. Monday morning. Currently, restaurants and bars are only allowed to sell alcohol until 12:30 a.m. Monday morning.

This bill will also have the opportunity to be heard in Public Policy this week. Should SB 119 pass out of committee, it will then have the opportunity to be heard by the entire House in the following weeks.

Stay Connected During Second Half

I look forward to begin hearing bills that have passed out of the Senate such as school start date, immigration, redistricting and a tax delay for businesses on unemployment insurance.

To follow the proceedings of the Indiana General Assembly visit www.in.gov/legislative and click on “Watch Indiana General Assembly Live.”

To track legislation visit www.in.gov/legislative and under Session Information you will be able to follow bills by bill number or subject matter.

CANI (Community Action of Northeast Indiana) has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide Early Head Start services to families in Allen and Noble counties.

The Early Head Start program was established in 1995 for children from birth to three years of age and pregnant women in recognition of scientific evidence that a child’s earliest years are extremely important to healthy development.

Locally, the funding allows for 72 slots, which can include pregnant women and children infants to age three. Additionally, the program will employ a manager, six home visitors and two administrative staff. The program is slated to begin serving families June 1.

The funding is part of $2.1 million made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

CANI helps communities, families, and individuals remove the causes and conditions of poverty. For more information about CANI and the services provided, see www.canihelp.org.

INDIANAPOLIS – Informed and reliable sources are telling Howey Politics Indiana that former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats will announce Wednesday he will challenge U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh.

 The source, a former aide, said that Coats knows he has about two weeks to gather the 4,500 signatures – 500 per Congressional district – in two weeks.

Dan Coats

 Coats was up for re-election in 1998 when he decided to retire, citing the pressures of constant fund-raising. Bayh went on that year to defeat former Fort Wayne Mayor Paul Helmke to reclaim his father’s Senate seat.

 Coats was almost named President George W. Bush’s Defense Secretary instead of Donald Rumsfeld, and later was named ambassador to Germany.

 Coats would join the Republican field that includes State Sen. Marlin Stutzman, plumber and Tea Party activist Richard Behney, former Congressman John Hostettler and Winchester financier Don. Bates Jr.

 Coats entered Congress by winning Dan Quayle’s House seat in 1980, then was appointed by Gov. Robert D. Orr to fill Quayle’s Senate seat when he ascended to the vice presidency in 1989.