FORT WAYNE, IN (August 16, 2010) – Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana is proud to announce the opening of an art exhibit about hunger. September is Hunger Action Month. Throughout the month, Community Harvest is working to engage citizens to take action through the 30 Ways in 30 Days campaign. Individuals are asked to pledge their “way” to make a difference, and take part in the fight against hunger in America. In addition, throughout the month, there will be doable, daily “ways” to take action posted on the Hunger Action Month website www.hungeractionmonth.org along with many additional suggestions for getting involved.

 As part of Hunger Action Month Community Harvest will sponsor a new exhibit, About Hunger and Resilience: Photographs and Audio Stories by Michael Nye. Community Harvest invited the artist to come to Fort Wayne during his 41/2 year journey around the country interviewing and capturing images of people touched by hunger. While he was here he interviewed several CHFB clients of which two are included in this exhibit. The exhibit will open with a reception that is free and open to the public on Saturday, August 28, from 7-10pm featuring hors d’oeuvres & cash bar in the John P. Weatherhead Gallery of the Mimi and Ian Rolland Art and Visual Communications Center School of Creative Arts at the University of Saint Francis. The artist will present a lecture prior to the reception at 6pm in the North Campus at the University of Saint Francis located at 2702 Spring Street.

 The exhibit will run through September 26th. Gallery hours: M-F, 9am-5pm; Sat., 10am-5pm; Sun., 1-5pm. Community Harvest in partnership with the University of Saint Francis brought the exhibit to Fort Wayne for Hunger Action Month to help educate this community about the issue of hunger in northeast Indiana. For more information about the exhibit visit http://www.michaelnye.org/.

By Brian Howey

BLOOMINGTON – It was his seventh and final mile, heading down South Walnut Street when a motorcyclist preparing to saddle up in a parking lot saw U.S. Rep. Baron Hill walk by.

 “Thanks for all you do,” Jason Evans-Groth called out from inside his helmet.

 Hill smiled, walked over and shook the man’s hand. The congressman is in a tough reelection battle in a hellish year for Democrats. The congressman had preached to his base all day that the pundits were spewing far too much gloom and doom.

 A few minutes later as Hill marched on with his staff and this writer several yards behind, a man in an SUV drove by and yelled out, “You suck.”

 So even in this liberal nook in the sprawling 9th CD – a true 50/50 district that has seen several races since 1994 go down to the wire – the split in opinion seemed apt.

 Hill is seeking a sixth term in seven elections, losing only once in the Bush-Daniels year of 2004. He faces a different foe than perennial opponent Mike Sodrel. Republican Todd Young is pressing Hill with a tailwind behind him, though he has yet to close ranks with the embittered Sodrel after edging him out with 35 percent of the vote in the three-way May primary. “It’s a little weird,” Hill says of not running against Sodrel. “It’s an adjustment. I don’t know much about Todd Young.”

 On this day the Republican National Committee targeted Hill as part of a 40-district, $22 million assault. Hill is ardently defending what has been a tumultuous two years. He broke with many Democrats in his district in April 2008, endorsing Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton in the Indiana primary.

 He staved off a fourth and final Sodrel challenge that November with 58 percent of the vote. As the Bush presidency waned, Hill voted against the TARP bailout of Wall Street, but backed the Obama stimulus in February 2009. The following fall, he voted for the Waxman-Markey Cap-and-Trade legislation. And the capstone of controversy came with his March vote for the health reforms.

 “After that vote, I sleep well at night knowing that people with pre-existing conditions can be covered, that your insurance coverage will follow you, that the doughnut hole has been fixed, that small businesses will get a tax cut for hiring people. Does anyone want to get rid of that?” Hill asked. “I can tell you who does: My opponent.”

 And now on a campaign trail littered with briars, liars, fires and brimstone, Hill is battling back. He left an emphatic marker at the Indiana Democratic Convention in June when during a fiery speech, Hill boomed, “I’m glad we passed health care. They want to repeal the thing. Let’s have that debate. Bring it on!”

 At that point in June, Public Opinion Strategies had Hill leading Young 41-34 percent in a poll conducted on behalf of the Republican. But more troubling were a number of Rasmussen Reports polls that revealed close to 60 percent of Hoosiers favor repealing the health reforms and about 50 percent are very motivated. But Hill had $1 million cash on hand as Young worked to replenish his primary-exhausted coffers.

 Back in 1990 when State Rep. Hill challenged newly appointed U.S. Sen. Dan Coats, Hill announced he would walk the entire state from the Ohio River to Lake Michigan. With great fanfare and a stuffed folder of earned media along the way, Hill jumped into Lake Michigan at the end of the journey.

 “The polls showed I was down by 34 percent,” Hill recalled. But soon after his plunge, Mason-Dixon released a poll showing him 8 percent down. He would lose to Coats by that same margin. Hill attributed the bounce to his walk.

 In this campaign, he will walk 250 miles. He’s getting a ton of press coverage.

 Hill walked into the Monroe County Democratic headquarters just off the Indiana University campus around 11:30 a.m. Waiting for him was Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan and about 25 activists and campaign volunteers. “These people are making 1,000 calls a night,” Hill beamed. “They are canvassing every weekend.”

 “This is going to be a tough election,” Hill told the Democrats. “There’s a whole lot of hurt out there. And here’s the deal: all the polls are showing the Republicans are more energized by 20 percent. We’ve got to make a thousand calls a day,” he said.

 Hill told the story of showing up at Obama headquarters in Columbus in July 2008 on a Wednesday afternoon. He found 10 volunteers making calls, including a woman who had never before been part of a campaign. Obama’s political wing – Organizing for America – has identified 330,000 Hoosiers who voted for the first time in 2008.

 “Where is she today?” Hill asked. “Is she going to vote? We need to find her and get her to the polls. If we do that, we’ll be just fine.”

 In the 9th, it just may come down to that.

 The columnist publishes at www.howeypolitics.com.

(Sept. 1, 2010) — Manchester College is inviting its alumni, friends and neighbors to embark on a journey of a lifetime – a cruise on the Nile River in Egypt in March 2011. The 11-day tour is hosted by Becky Waas and her husband David Waas, professor emeritus of history who has led hundreds of Manchester students and alumni on travel adventures. (Both are MC alumni.)

Travelers will experience the monuments and architecture of the world’s oldest civilizations, beginning in Cairo and sailing the Nile to the Aswan Dam on an itinerary rich with unforgettable destinations.

The March 18-28 tour includes round-trip airfare from Chicago O’Hare Airport, accommodations in a first-class Cairo hotel and in outside cabins with private facilities on the cruise ship. Sightseeing and entrance fees, most meals, transfers, taxes, service charges and flight insurance also included in the $3,199 tour arranged through Nawas International.

For more information and a detailed trip itinerary, contact the Alumni Office of Manchester College, 260-982-5223, or email alumnioffice@manchester.edu.

Article contributed

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (Sept. 1, 2010) — Faith Christian Academy began its 17th year of classes in Whitley County last week.

FCA is Whitley County’s only interdenominational Christian school and begins this year with 41 total students in preschool through eight grade.

The staff is the same as last year, with one exception – Jean Graham has returned to Haiti with her husband to resume their work as missionaries. Lisa Shivley begins her tenth year as the preschool teacher; Deanna Thompson begins her second year as the kindergarten and first grade teacher; and Karen VanVoorst begins her fifteenth year with FCA as the third, fourth and fifth grade teacher.

And although Sue Lewis begins her third year as a middle school teacher, she has taught at FCA for a total of eight years. Larry Schmoekel will begin his third year as the school’s administrator.

“We have a great group of students again this year,” Schmoekel said. “New students have brought a sense of excitement, and the returning students also have a sense of wanting to learn about God’s world.”

HUNTERTOWN, Ind. (Sept, 2010) — Military service has put a Huntertown company on the Inc. 5000 roster of the nation’s fastest-growing companies – for the second year in a row. While other manufacturers struggled through the economic turmoil of the past three years, family-owned Precision Laser Services Inc. has posted a 23 percent revenue growth, including more than $10 million in military contracts.

Military service has put a Huntertown company on the Inc. 5000 roster of the nation’s fastest-growing companies – for the second year in a row. While other manufacturers struggled through the economic turmoil of the past three years, family-owned Precision Laser Services Inc. has posted a 23 percent revenue growth, reports the magazine in announcing its list of private entrepreneurs.

“The leaders of companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 have figured out how to grow their businesses during the longest recession since the Great Depression,” said Inc. magazine President Bob LaPointe.

Precision Laser Services has been awarded more than $10 million in military contracts over the past three years, from weapons lockers to machine gun mounts to spare parts, said Ed Ferrier, CEO and general manager. While the military machining and fabrication contracts primarily supply the Navy’s Special Forces, often other branches of the U.S. military request similar products when they see the quality and utility of Precision Laser Services’ products.

A diverse customer base depends on Precision Laser Services for its ability to create more-efficient products to save energy and costs in these tough times, said Ferrier. His company was able to help a key customer in the food services industry dramatically reduce its utility costs. Precision Laser Services also machines parts for the RV, marine and trucking industries, problem-solving for customers eager for more-efficient and cost-effective parts and products.

Precision Laser has developed a niche in swift turnaround of laser cut and stamped value-added products that often are too complex to interest large manufacturers. “We recently added capabilities to do those kinds of jobs,” said Ferrier.

Founded in the late 1940s by Otis G. Ferrier, “modernized” by his son Dale O. Ferrier’s purchase of a laser drill in 1972, and diversified under his son Ed Ferrier’s leadership, Precision Laser continues a family tradition of innovation.

The 26-employee company recently joined Northeast Indiana Defense Industry Association, which includes area “big guns” like Raytheon and General Dynamics, to help promote the Defense industry in Northeast Indiana.

Learn more about Precision Laser Services at www.plsmfg.com or 260-744-4375. For more about the Inc. 5000, visit www.inc.com.

September 9, 2010
5:30 pm	to	7:30 pm
September 16, 2010
5:30 pm	to	7:30 pm
September 23, 2010
5:30 pm	to	7:30 pm
September 30, 2010
5:30 pm	to	7:30 pm

“Dining with Diabetes” is a program for people with diabetes and their families. This 4 week cooking school will be held on Thursday evenings, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Whitley County Extension Office, 115 South Line Street, Columbia City. Includes: September 9 – “What is Diabetes?”; September 16 – “Main Dishes – Looking at Fats and Sodium”; September 23 – “Desserts – Looking at Carbohydrates and Sweeteners”; and September 30 – “Side Dishes – Looking at Vitamins and Fiber”. Cost is $35/person for all 4 sessions; $20 for the 2nd person in a family. Aging and In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana is providing a limited number of full scholarships for persons over age 60. Registrations are due Sept. 7. For more information, call 260-244-7615 or 260-625-3313 or e-mail cbarnett@purdue.edu.

“Dining with Diabetes” is a program for people with diabetes and their families. This four-week cooking school will be held on Thursday evenings, September 9, 16, 23, and 30, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Whitley County Extension Office, 115 South Line Street, Columbia City.

This curriculum reflects current advances in diabetes nutritional education and also takes into consideration today’s busy lifestyle. Recipes utilized throughout the curriculum have fewer and less expensive ingredients and are prepared with less fat and sodium content. Utilization of the artificial sweeteners in combination with limited amounts of sugar is emphasized to reduce overall carbohydrates and calories. Emphasis is placed on the addition and importance of fiber and calcium in the meal plan.

The class schedule is: September 9 – “What is Diabetes?”; September 16 – “Main Dishes – Looking at Fats and Sodium”; September 23 – “Desserts – Looking at Carbohydrates and Sweeteners”; and September 30 – “Side Dishes – Looking at Vitamins and Fiber”.

Cost is $35/person for all 4 sessions; $20 for the 2nd person in a family. Aging and In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana is providing a limited number of full scholarships for persons over age 60.

Registrations are due Sept. 7. For more information, call 260-244-7615 or 260-625-3313 or e-mail cbarnett@purdue.edu.

After a dominating performance against the Fremont Eagles last week, the ‘Busco Eagles looked to carry that momentum into Friday night’s game at Central Noble. It didn’t take long for this impressive team to get into gear and start scoring.

Kyle Monk started the scoring frenzy with a 15 yard quarterback keeper and just minutes later Kyle Matthewson ran for 61 yards making the score 13-0 with 6:58 left in the first quarter.

Five minutes later Monk hooked up with Matthewson on a pass that went for 20 yards and a touchdown.

At the 11:39 mark in the 2nd quarter Matthewson ran for 46 yards and 10 minutes later Monk ran for 43 yards just before the end of the half to make it 31-0 going into the locker room.

The Eagles continued their dominance in the second-half with a 55 yard 4-play drive, and a brutal hit by Monk on one of the Cougar’s defenders on a somewhat botched play by the Eagles.

The Cougar’s did manage to score late in the 4th quarter making it 44-7 for the final score.

River City Campground in South Whitley, IN hosts 29th Annual Concert, Auction and Fun on August 27, 28 & 29th to benefit Jerry’s Kids of NE Indiana!

South Whitley, IN: August, 2010 – Ron and Sharon Frazier, owners of River City Campground (6220 South 850 West, South Whitley, IN 46787) are hosting the 29^th year of their fun-filled Telethon event!  MDA of Northeast Indiana is very grateful for the continued help and support of the River City Campground!!!

The event-filled weekend kicks off August 27^th with an antique motor scooter show.  Friday night is the Gospel Jam and the start of the Amish bake sale.  Saturday begins at 10am with a benefit Auction.  ITEMS ARE STILL NEEDED FOR THE AUCTION—CONTACT RON AND SHARON AT 260-723-4444 TO DONATE. Saturday at 2:30pm is the Antique Scooter Fun Ride; 7pm Concert with Tammy Jones Robinette for only a $4 donation.  Sunday begins with Chapel Service at 10am featuring special music; lunch at noon by Ladies of River City Campground; 2pm Hee-Haw Variety show and One Accord for only $5!

Funds raised through the River City Campground Telethon events are critical to MDA’s provision of services to over 550 individuals living with neuromuscular disease in Northeast Indiana.  MDA of Northeast Indiana provides:

• Annual week long summer camp @ Camp Potawotami for youngsters with muscular dystrophy
• The local MDA clinic at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne
• Repair & loan of durable medical equipment
• Support groups and seminars
• Resources for medical research to continue MDA’s lifesaving mission for treatments and cures

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through worldwide research, comprehensive medical and community services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. MDA maintains some 230 clinics nationwide, including a local clinic at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.  For more information regarding the Fort Wayne Homerun Lock-Up, contact the Northeast Indiana MDA Office at (260) 486.6698 or via e-mail at astoneburner@mdausa.org.

MDA was the first nonprofit organization honored with the American Medical Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award “for significant and lasting contribution to the health and welfare of humanity.”  MDA is dedicated to the eradication of muscular dystrophies, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), myasthenia gravis, spinal muscular atrophies, Friedreich’s ataxia and a host of other neuromuscular diseases.  For more information on MDA, visit www.mda.org .

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Whitley County Sheriff Mark Hodges and Chief Deputy Sheriff Marcus Gatton successfully completed “The Business of Public Safety” series at the Public Safety Academy of Northeast Indiana.

This series was hosted by the High Performance Government Network and designed to provide Northeast Indiana public safety leaders with a forum to learn new skills and tools, share their best practices, and collaborate with their peers.

“Whitley County will benefit from Sheriff Hodges’s and Chief Deputy Sheriff Gatton’s commitment to learning and sharing operational best practices with other public safety leaders,” said Bernie Beier, Director of the Public Safety Academy of Northeast Indiana. “As a region, we must continue to become safer by collaborating and sharing.”

“The Business of Public Safety” series provided public safety and elected leaders from across Northeast Indiana with an overview of private sector tools and lessons learned to improve operational performance of their departments. Speakers at the series included Dr. Frank Straub, Director of the Indianapolis Public Safety Department; Neil Moore, Executive Director of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute; Jim Greeson, Indiana State Fire Marshall; and Chet Epperson, Police Chief for Rockford, Illinois.

This is part of an ongoing “Public Safety Executive Leadership Series” for Northeast Indiana public safety leaders hosted by the Public Safety Academy of Northeast Indiana and the High Performance Government Network. More information is available at www.hpgnetwork.com.

CANI (Community Action of Northeast Indiana) announces that three of its Head Start sites − Kendallville, Tmeple, Ligonier − have received accreditation from the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of the Young Child).

This distinction enhances CANI Head Start’s status as a quality child development program. Kendallville: First Presbyterian Church, 201 S. State St.; Achduth Vesholom Temple: 5200 Old Mill Road, Fort Wayne and Noble County: Ligonier United Methodist Church, 466 Townline Road, Ligonier, are among CANI Head Start’s nine sites.

For more than 80 years, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has worked to raise the quality of programs for all children from birth through age eight. A major part of NAEYC’s efforts to improve early childhood education is through different systems of accreditation for programs that are committed to meeting national standards of quality.

The Accreditation of Programs for Young Children has set professional standards for early childhood education programs and helped families identify high-quality programs for their young children. More than 8,000 child care programs, preschools, early learning centers, and other center- or school-based early childhood education programs are currently NAEYC Accredited.

CANI Head Start is a free, comprehensive development program. It meets educational, health, nutritional, and social service needs of low-income preschool children, ages 3 to 5, and their families in Allen, Noble, and Whitley counties.

CANI also announces the addition of three staff members. Patricia (Trish) Lopez, Amy Wicker and Gregory Witter have been hired to work in Community Services. Jose Hernandez has been hired to work in Administration & Development.

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.

By Brian Howey

KOKOMO – Dan Coats came of age politically when he emerged from Dan Quayle’s shadow during the thrust of the Reagan Revolution. He is the only Hoosier not named “Lugar” or “Bayh” to hold a U.S. Senate seat since 1977. He is undefeated. He has been married only once.

 And he surprised just about everyone when he reemerged as a candidate on Ground Hog’s Day – 12 years after having last held elective office and 18 years since he was last on a ballot. He had decided to take on U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh after the Republican field failed to raise money and Coats was alarmed at the direction of the country under President Obama. When the news got out, former Sen. Phil Gramm dialed him up to inquire how his “second marriage” was faring. It was a joke, of course, Marcia Coats had fully signed off on his return to senatorial politics.

 In late 1998, Coats stopped by for a final chat. After eight years in the House and 10 years in the Senate, he wanted to move on. He was tired on the constant need to raise money and the nastiness of the process that was careening toward impeachment of President Clinton. And there was the senator’s son – Evan Bayh – waiting in the wings to reclaim his father’s Senate seat.

 

After our conversaton, Coats walked out the door, only to return. “I could have beat Evan Bayh,” he said before walking away. Was this to be “unfinished business,” Coats acknowledged, “To be candid with you, a little bit.”

 ”I had committed to term limits. I wanted to honor that commitment,” he said. “But I did feel bad that in a sense I opened the door and turned a Republican seat into a Democratic seat.”

 Thirteen days after Coats decided to run, Bayh retired. After an aide called him with the news, Coats was thunderstruck. “I can’t believe it,” he said about 12 seconds later.

 As Coats pondered a return to politics, he was warned that things had changed since he last ran in 1992. “I had former colleagues that called and said, ‘This is an entirely different ball game. You sure you want to do this?’ We went in with eyes wide open.”

 Had the decision come in a normal way with months of planning, Coats would have done things differently. “It was the last thing I was considering,” Coats said. “I would have taken a number of steps earlier if I thought I was getting back in preparation for that. We have this second home in North Carolina and I certainly would have sold that.” Within weeks of his return, Democrats posted a YouTube video of Coats talking about retiring to North Carolina.

 And it has been eye opening. Back in 1992, the Internet was still in diapers. When he left office, newspapers and TV stations were just turning to the Internet. Now there are blogs run by “journalists” without degrees and with agendas.

 ”The most major change is the Internet,” he explained. “The ways and means of communication and the access to information is so extraordinary. There’s no filter. You can take anything you want to say, make any allegation and you can make it anonymously. There’s no editor you can call and say, ‘Hey, wait a minute.’ Or ‘here’s my story.’ “

 Indications of the change came almost immediately. Earlier in the day on Feb. 2, Bayh told a group of visitors in his Senate office that he had to “go deal with a German ambassador.” Howey Politics Indiana broke the news about Coats that night and called Indiana Democratic Chairman Dan Parker for a comment. He responded by reciting Ambassador Coats’ ties to Bank of America as a lobbyist.

“I can tell you the difference between the former campaign (1992) and this one is people like this guy,” Coats said, pointing to Pete Seat, his communications director. “You give him a piece of news, he gets on the Internet and he’s all over it. You type in ‘Lobbying Disclosure Act’ and ‘Coats’ and boom! That information is there. It is revolutionary. So when Parker heard I was doing this, boom, he went to the Internet and I think he had that stuff in an hour.”

 Another sea change is the “I gotcha” dynamic. “It’s not what you stand for, who you are, what you did, or your resume,” Coats said. “It’s we’re going to catch you making a mistake. And we’re going to blast that and that’s going to be our campaign.”

 Any candidate playing at the congressional level has to be aware of the “Macaca” moment, as Sen. George Allen learned in 2006. “Everywhere I go there is a camera on me recording,” Coats said. “It used to be you’d call a press conference, the press would show up and that was your message.

Today it’s what door did you enter? What restaurant did you eat at? I’ve had people outside my house. I’ve had people checking to see when I come home. I’ve had people posing as journalists at a Republican event.”

 The columnist publishes at www.howeypolitics.com.

TRI LAKES, COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (Aug. 22, 2010) – Another cougar sighting – this time in our own backyard in Whitley County!

Linda Zimmerman and her husband Max, along with two relatives sighted an adult cougar taking a drink at the water’s edge of Big Cedar Lake in the East Basin at approximately 5 p.m. yesterday (Aug. 21, 2010).

Big Cedar Lake is one of the lakes that comprise Tri Lakes in Whitley County, a short drive from Churubusco and Blue Lake.

Zimmerman notified buscovoice.com early this morning at 12:27 a.m. (Apparently, she had a little trouble sleeping?)

This is what Zimmerman reported:

“My husband, Max, and two first cousins sighted an adult cougar on the north shore of Big Cedar Lake in the East Basin approximately 5 P.M. today (Aug. 21, 2010). We have alerted the Whitley County Sheriff Department, as well as neighbors adjoining the area of the sighting,” Zimmerman said.

“This sighting was a very clear, close range sighting of the cougar as it drank from the water’s edge and immediately bolted into brush and disappeared as we were approaching with our pontoon dead on,” Zimmerman continued.

“One neighbor had heard ’something wild’ last night outside (his/her home) but didn’t know what it was. Cougars don’t often attack humans, but they can and sometimes do. Pets, I imagine, would be considered fair game for this adult cougar! I can honestly say, we were all surprised at the sighting but all know exactly what we saw … no imagination here.”

If you sight what you believe to be a wild cat in or around your neighborhood, call the local Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or local law enforcement officials.

(Click on map to enlarge)

There is a Web sight devoted to wild cat sightings in the Midwest called Cougar News.

Following are some of the articles listed on the sight.

The big cat out back? It could be a lion!

By SETH SLABAUGH of the Muncie Star

MUNCIE — The camera doesn’t lie. And that’s why state officials are now taking more seriously people such as Delaware County farmer Lon Wright when they cry “cougar.

At 2:30 a.m. on May 1, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources captured multiple images of a cougar, also known as a mountain lion, in rural Greene County east of Bloomfield and southwest of Bloomington.

Cameras were placed in the area after investigators found evidence consistent with mountain lion behavior, including a deer minus its intestines buried under a pile of leaves.

On March 1, DNR implemented a new policy to collect data and evaluate reported sightings of mountain lions, prompted by increased reports of the animals migrating east, specifically out of South Dakota.

Since then, 19 mountain lion sightings have been reported, including the one in Greene County — seven counties away from Delaware County. Of the remaining 18, two reports were confirmed by biologists as animals other than a mountain lion. Sixteen were classified as “unconfirmed,” either because of no physical evidence or because photographs provided were of insufficient quality to identify characteristics of any animal type.

Wright swears he saw a mountain lion in a hay field near his dairy farm in southern Delaware County in the summer of 2008. A feed company truck driver reported seeing a cougar walking down the driveway within 60 feet of Wright’s house. Wright’s wife also has seen it, close enough that she was prepared to squirt it with a garden hose if it had approached her.

For the rest of this story click here …

Category Archive for ‘Confirmed Sightings’

Wisconsin DNR response to cougar sightings varies by circumstance

Posted in Confirmed Sightings, Government Agency, Monitoring, Wisconsin on Jul 7th, 2010

DNR response to cougar sightings varies by circumstance

Rare animal sightings tend to jump start the imagination.

The cougar hiding in your neighbor’s woods. The wolverine scurrying under a deck. A timber wolf hunting cattle.

The Department of Natural Resources — the recipient of these reports — takes a case-by-case approach when deciding whether to investigate … (Click on headline for complete story)

Michigan DNRE determines trail camera photo in Menominee County is likely cougar

Posted in Confirmed Sightings, Government Agency, Michigan, Monitoring, Remote Camera on Jun 21st, 2010

Menominee County is in the southwestern corner of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and shares a border with Wisconsin

DNRE Determines Trail Camera Photo in Menominee County is Likely Cougar – June 21, 2010

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment today announced it has reviewed a Menominee County trail camera picture [...]

COUGAR ON THE PROWL NEAR MORDEN

Conservation officials suggest healthy deer population attracting the predator

“Generally speaking, respect the animal, but do not fear it. Cougar attacks (on people) are very [...]

Brown County Ohio cougar was flea market purchase

Posted in Confirmed Sightings, Control, Monitoring, Ohio on May 31st, 2010

Most eastern states and Canadian provinces now ban private ownership of cougars or require the “owner” of the exotic animal to obtain a license or permit or to register the animal with state or local authorities to privately possess the animal. As of 2009, only two states (Wisconsin & West Virginia) and one eastern Canadian [...]

Remote camera confirmation of cougar at Lena, Wisconsin

Posted in Confirmed Sightings, Remote Camera, Wisconsin on May 31st, 2010

Lena is in eastern Wisconsin north of Green Bay. Based on the location of the urinary opening, we know the cougar is a male.

Possible escaped captive cougar sighted in southwestern Ohio

Posted in Confirmed Sightings, Control, Monitoring, Ohio on May 28th, 2010

Georgetown is in SW Ohio near the Kentucky border.

http://www.maysville-online.com/news/local/article_eaaa2e50-6a00-11df-bef9-001cc4c03286.html

Mountain lion believed sighted near Georgetown

GEORGETOWN, Ohio — The Brown County Sheriff’s Office has received two reports in two days of a mountain lion sighting near Georgetown, Ohio.

Police believe the animal may have escaped from a resident on Western Run Avenue in Mount [...]

The benefits of two new Eel River federal grants will flow all the way downriver to the Gulf of Mexico. Both are products of the $1 million Middle Eel River Watershed Initiative.

• $2.9 million over five years for Eel River landowners and agribusinesses in Kosciusko, Wabash and Miami counties to reduce phosphorus, nitrogen and soil runoff.
• $120,000 over two years to remove two Eel River dams, at Liberty Mills and North Manchester

The $2.9 million comes from the Natural Resources Conservation Service as part of the new Mississippi River Basin Initiative to avoid, control and trap nutrient and soil runoff into streams while maintaining agricultural productivity.

The Eel River watershed is one of 41 watersheds in 12 states designated a priority for the funding, primarily because of the volume of data collected by Manchester College scientists and students over the past five years. “Our relationship with the agricultural community and our ability to monitor and detect changes in nutrient export was central to bringing this money to our area” said Jerry Sweeten, associate professor of biology and director of environmental studies.

“Excess nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) along with sediment entering the Eel River is far-reaching,” said Sweeten. The Eel River flows into the Wabash River, which flows into the Ohio River, which flows into the Mississippi.

These excess nutrients and soil have created a 6,000-square-mile hypoxic zone (low-dissolved oxygen) in the Gulf of Mexico. “By reducing the nutrient export from the Corn Belt region, it will hopefully reduce the hypoxic zone and improve the water quality of the Eel River,” said Sweeten.

All of the grant will be spent on best management practices initiated voluntarily by Eel River watershed landowners, and appropriated by soil conservation districts and natural resources offices in the three counties. Among possible best practices: cover crops planted in the fall to protect soil over the winter, buffers along streams, fencing livestock away from the river and feeder streams, and restoring wetlands.

A two-year $120,000 grant from the Ohio River Basin Fish Habitat Partnership and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will finance removal of two of the six degraded Eel River dams to enhance stream habitat, fish passageways and recreational use.

The dams are no longer functional and are extremely dangerous, said Sweeten. The dams at Liberty Mills and North Manchester are the first significant dams to be removed in Indiana for the National Fish Passageway Program. Scientific studies of the river before and after removal will be conducted by Manchester College scientists and students, Sweeten said. The work may begin as early as this coming winter, by Troy Eads Excavating Inc. of Lagro.

For more about the Middle Eel River Watershed Initiative, visit http://www.manchester.edu/eelriverinitiative/index.htm.

From Sheriff Mark Hodges

Just in case you missed the great article by Post and Mail reporter Chris Meyers, I would like to congratulate Confinement Officer Steve Myers on his award for Confinement Officer of the Year for the State of Indiana.  Steve goes above and beyond his required duties as a Confinement Officer.  He helps inmates when they are released and have very little provisions.  He will invite released offenders to his church and he has been known to drive released offenders to doctor appointments.  Steve also does some of the building maintenance, fixing leaky pipes, repairing locking mechanisms, sealing asphalt; bulb replacement…the list goes on and on.  He has saved us thousands of dollars in budget money by providing this service.

I have three goals for improvements to operations for the next four years.  I would like to install GPS tracking in all of the patrol cars.  GPS will be of great assistance when the public calls in to say a police call was traveling too fast through an intersection or past their house.  A GPS recording will allow me to review the speed of the officer, review road and weather conditions and then determine if the officer was responding to a call.  A safety feature of GPS will allow us to locate an officer should the officer not be able to respond on his radio. 

I also want to re-visit the possibility of video arraignment.  This project will allow us to present arrestees to the court without leaving the confines of the jail.  In some cases, an inmate that is being housed in another jail could make a court appearance without having to be transported to Whitley County then back to the holding jail.  Lots of miles and man hours can be saved with this feature.  Video arraignment is basically electronic audio/video equipment that is installed in the jail and in both local courts.  With the proper mounting of cameras and microphones, the prosecutor, judge, defense attorney and arrestee will be visible to each other without taking the arrestee out of this building.  This will increase security while decreasing the number of officers required to walk the inmate across the street to court.

Finally, I would like to find funding to replace the 23 year old door opening system.  This system is responsible for unlocking cell doors and other security doors.  The panel contains several dozen rocker switches that are pressed to unlock a certain door.  Due to the age of the panel, replacement parts are becoming obsolete and a service call to make a repair is extremely expensive.  The latest replacement for the existing panel is a computer operated touch-screen system.  The computer screen will display a schematic-like drawing of the interior of the building with all doors numbered.  When an officer calls to have a door opened, the Control Room officer simply touches the computer screen to open the door.  Since the price tag of this system exceeds $100,000.00, funding from grants will be researched.

In closing for this month, I would like to share some of the jail statistics from 2009.  These statistics are from an annual report that I am required to submit to both judges, the governing bodies and to the Department of Correction.

• Total number of inmate beds in the Whitley County Jail remains at 100.
• The total number of persons booked for 2009 was 1892.
• The total number of felony charges was 492.
• The total number of misdemeanor charges was 706.
•  
• The top ten bookings by order of offense:

1.  
   1. Court Hearings (FTA, FTC, etc.)          568
   2. Operating While Intoxicated               477
   3. Burglary/Theft                                     204
   4. Possession of Controlled Substance    173
   5. Holds for other departments               133
   6. Possession of Paraphernalia               118
   7. Minor in Possession                             107
   8. Driving While Suspended                       64
   9. Habitual Traffic Violator                       61
   10. Battery                                                               59

•  The average daily inmate population for 2009: 104
• The highest population was on 06-08-09: 128 
• The lowest population was on 11-12-09: 81
• The total jail and in-custody deaths for 2009: 0
• The total number of escapes for 2009: 0
• The total number of juveniles booked via waiver or direct file for 2009: 1

 Bookings

 Number of County Residents Booked            914    

Average Stay (in days)                                        37.4

Average Age                                                                32

Males                                                                          1407

Females                                                                        485

White                                                                          1720

Asian                                                                                  3

Black                                                                                 86

Hispanic                                                                          49

Amer. Indian or Alaskan Native                             2

Other                                                                                   2

Unknown                                                                       30

On August 4th, 2010, the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities opened its doors to the Class of 2012. The Academy is Indiana’s only public, residential school for high ability Indiana juniors and seniors and is located on the campus of Ball State University, Muncie.

 Admission is by application only, and acceptance is highly selective. The curriculum is college-level, rigorous and challenging. Nearly half the faculty possess the doctoral degree. Graduates of the class of 2010 were offered over $9 million in scholarships, alumni from the previous 18 classes have distinguished themselves in fields ranging from fashion design to aerospace.

 Among the newly enrolled members of the Class of 2012 is the following area youth:

 Stuart Hilsmier, Albion

 He joins his brother Jon Hilsmier, returning member of the Class of 2011.

 For more information about the Indiana Academy, please check out the website at www.bsu.edu/Academy/.

By Brian Howey

KOKOMO – It had been an intriguing 72 hours before Gov. Mitch Daniels took the stage at the Highland Park band shell here on a steamy Wednesday night. With a Newsweek reporter in tow, Daniels was on the stump for his first political priority: electing a Republican Indiana House.

 With him stood Kokomo Councilman Mike Karickhoff, one of about 25 challengers Daniels recruited in order to overcome a 52-48 Democratic majority in the House that had stomped most of the governor’s reform agenda.

 ”A reporter asked me what keeps me up at night,” Daniels told a crowd of about 250 people. “I sleep very well,” he said, but instead of counting sheep, “I just count all of the states I’m not governor.”

 

On Sunday, Daniels appeared on Fox News Sunday and told host Chris Wallace that he is “open to the idea” of a presidential run. But, he said, “My attention is entirely fixed on the challenges — and I think opportunities — facing Indiana.” Asked about what conditions might prompt him into the race, Daniels said, “Chris, you live in a world of secret agendas and code words, but not all of us operate that way.” Republicans like Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich or Mike Huckabee must effectively address the nation’s fiscal health, with the economy now careening toward that dreaded “W” recession. “I’m hoping we will have people step forward and really hit those things head on,” he said. “Maybe I’ll be one of them, but there are lot of ways to contribute to that debate.”

 Daniels also took a shot at the Obama administration when he was asked if he supported the stimulus. Daniels responded, “Really don’t. It amounts at this point in time to asking the citizens of responsible states like ours to subsidize those places who have been more reckless. It’s probably not going to help the economy. It’s this notion of a sort of a trickle-down government. You pour a few more bajillion dollars in the top of the funnel and maybe a little demand and a few private-sector jobs will fall out the bottom. It’s really not the way to do it.”

 In the ensuing 48 hours, Daniels found himself in an uncharacteristic brush fire, as Indiana reporters dusted off a letter from last February when Daniels joined 46 other governors asking Congress to extend enhanced federal Medicaid match rates. His staff said he signed the letter as a “team player.” He told a reporter, “I have made the same point over and over, that borrowing money from the Chinese and spending it on government is not effective. My clear recollection is saying I’d only sign a letter that says don’t add to the debt, and I thought that letter made it plain.”

 Democrats cried foul, saying he flip-flopped, noting that the $1.2 billion in stimulus funding had propped up the Indiana budget on Medicaid and education funding. “He used the stimulus money to prop up the budget, so it’s basically political doublespeak,” State Rep. Phil GiaQuinta told the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. “If his heart isn’t into it then maybe he shouldn’t take the money.”

 Another twist came when Anne Murphy, secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, sent a letter to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services saying that the governor’s Healthy Indiana Plan should be incorporated into the health care reforms. It contrasted with Daniels emphatic criticism of the health reforms, prompting him to freeze enrollment into HIP shortly after President Obama signed the reforms into law.

 What became clear is that presidential politics – with a potential candidate playing to a national audience – can complicate the task of governing back home.

 The governor continues to send mixed signals. On Wednesday he met with about 400 people in Muncie, did a ribbon cutting on a Major Moves funded road in Fort Wayne, heralded 350 new jobs in Huntington from an Ohio company moving in, met with Hoosier Conservation Corps workers, and then attended a graduation of inmates in a faith-based program at the Miami Correctional Facility.

 He told the Kokomo audience that the day amplifies what “sets Indiana apart. I think we’ve gained on these goals.”

 But then he added, “There is so much to do when I’m back in private life.”

 So this is a presidential flirtation. And it’s a three-legged stool. The first leg is to help candidates like Karickhoff defeat Democrats to retake a majority and form a new nucleus of reform-minded Republicans in the House. Howey Politics Indiana has 12 seats either projected as a Republican takeover or are in tossup up, and 11 are held by Democrats. To achieve these goals, “We really have to have people with new ideas,” Daniels said. “That’s why I asked Mike Karickhoff to run.”

 The second step begins in January if Daniels achieves his majority. He is then poised to push for education and local government reforms. It will come during an excruciatingly tough budget year as the state’s reserves drain away.

 And lastly, next Spring after the legislature goes home, if the jobs are still sparse, the economy drifts and no Republican reaches the cone of inevitability, a presidential campaign would be built.

 The columnist publishes at www.howeypolitics.com.

Eel River biologists have a pretty good idea of what volunteer cleanup crews will find when they don gloves and boots and hit the waters on Saturday, Sept. 18:

Hot water heaters, large metal boxes, pipes, cement blocks, a bicycle, an old push mower, incredible volumes of broken glass … and many, many tires. All in the waterway on the southeast edge of North Manchester, just downstream from the historic 1872 covered bridge.

“I wanted to cry when I saw how bad it is,” said Terri Michaelis, manager of the Middle Eel River Watershed Initiative that is coordinating the cleanup that will serve a valuable dual purpose of educating people about the trash and debris that mars the waterway. The Sept. 18 cleanup will focus on the water; the riverbanks are another sad story for another project at a later date, perhaps by a volunteer group.

Adult volunteers will gather at the covered bridge at Sycamore and South Mill streets at 8:30 a.m. for the morning task. (Get map.) The initiative will provide gloves, bug spray, sunscreen, snacks and drinking water. Volunteers will want to wear long sleeves, long pants and boots, tennis shoes or waters shoes for protection against poison ivy and stinging nettle. Because of the danger of the unwieldy trash, participants must be at least 18 and must sign a waiver.

This half-mile stretch is the worst of the Eel River when it comes to trash, Michaelis said. The river is shallow right now, so clean-up crews will wade down the river, filling and pulling canoes behind. Miami and Wabash county trucks will be parked downstream at the waste treatment plant for filling and disposal of the trash at the landfill. Additional open-bed trucks are needed, Michaelis said. Much of the metal will be recyclable, should somebody want to collect it.

Volunteer groups, clubs and individuals are invited to pitch in. To register to help, contact Michaelis at 260-982-5101 or tmmichaelis@manchester.edu. Registration and waiver forms also are available on the website of the Middle Eel River Watershed Initiative at www.manchester.edu/eelriverinitiative/index.htm, where visitors can learn more about the $1 million conservation and cleanup initiative of federal, state and local agencies, organizations and individuals.

It’s that time again. Time to register your kids (or maybe yourself) for dance classes.

Center Stage Dance Academy in Churubusco will be holding registration Monday, August 16, Tuesday, August 17, and Wednesday, August 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, August 21 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Center Stage offers a variety of classes including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, technique, zumba, and more!

Ballroom Dancing will also be offered this year. So find a partner and sign up!

Several students of Center Stage Dance Academy have won scholarships to prestigious dance schools.

Classes begin Monday, August 23.

For more information, contact Center Stage at (260) 693-1057 or visit the website here.

College guide looks to excellent academics, students to endorse Manchester as a “Best in the Midwest”

“Professors are especially nice and willing to help you succeed,” 2009 psychology graduate Latefa Abdel-Khaleq of Fort Wayne told researchers for The Princeton Review, which once again lists Manchester College as a “Best in the Midwest.”

 Manchester is profiled on the education services company’s website, “2011 Best Colleges: Region by Region.” The Princeton Review chose Manchester College primarily for its excellent academic programs, but also considered a student survey of campus experiences, said Robert Franek, senior vice president for publishing.

 Manchester College, with 1,223 students and more than 55 areas of study, annually makes the “Best College” list of The Princeton Review and of U.S. News & World Report, which reports its rankings later this month.

 Students told The Princeton Review the typical Manchester College undergraduate is “very intelligent,” “polite and well-read,” and “ up-to-date on current events.” About 85 percent of Manchester students are Hoosiers, with 21 states and 20 countries also represented.

 “Sports are a big common ground with students, but typical jocks these students aren’t,” reports the website. “There are people into sports, peace, science, math, business, music, theater, etc and everyone coexists relatively peacefully, forming a great close-knit community … students suggest that you do not come to Manchester if you are not open to learning about other types of people and are not willing to accept differences.”

 Other comments on the website: “Professors are the best part of the school, being knowledgeable, capable, and approachable. They are passionate about what they do and that shows both in and out of the classroom … Professors care enough to help you find a summer internship, write you emails to check in with you while you are studying abroad, and are always willing to offer a listening ear.”

 The Princeton Review, with editorial offices in New York City and test preparation locations across the country and abroad, is not affiliated with Princeton University and is not a magazine. Find more at www.PrincetonReview.com.

 For more about Manchester College, and to arrange a visit to the North Manchester, Ind., campus, visit www.manchester.edu or call 800-852-3648.