Pet of the Week – Eli

Sponsored by Fort Financial Credit Union

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

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

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

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

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

Thumbs UP!

To Pet of the Week Feature

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

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

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

Slurp Slurp, purrrr purrrr…

Thanks so much!

Laura

Whitley County Humane Shelter

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (Feb. 2010) – In this aerial photograph shot from an airplane February 4 and looking north at the junction of US 30 and SR 205 in Columbia City, the new Parkview Whitley Hospital takes shape as construction workers continue with the erection of steel, visible in the center of the photograph. Steel erection, which is divided into six sequences, moving from west to east, is scheduled to be completed this April. The address of the new hospital is 1260 E. State Road 205, Columbia City, IN 46725.

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

Check it out at:

http://whitleygov.com/

The new Web site offers:

• information on all county meetings;

• information on key services;

• an online payment center to pay bills online;

• an action center for service requests and problem reports;

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

Pet of the Week

Brought to You by Fort Financial Credit Union

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

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

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

Pet of the Week – Sobe

Sponsored by Fort Financial Credit Union

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

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

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

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

From The Sheriff’s Desk – December 2009

by Mark Hodges, Whitley County Sheriff

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Sheriff Hodges

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

Photo contributed

Learn to make a big difference with just a little money

WHITLEY COUNTY, Ind. (Nov. 18, 2009) – Many people and organizations are short on money these days, but that doesn’t mean that charitable organizations and causes have to suffer. In short, it’s what you do with what you have that makes all the difference. That’s the message that young people learned last weekend during a retreat for Youth Pods, philanthropic organizations for young people.

Members of the local Youth Pod, called HANDS, Helping Achieve New Directions with Students, attended the retreat held in North Webster, Ind., at YMCA Camp Crosley.

“It was very inspiring going to the retreat. I learned I can help my community not just with money but by my time and talent,’ commented Ian Rooda, junior member from Columbia City High School. “I really liked when the non-profits came in and talked with us about what they do. I really enjoyed it and I got some ideas on how I could volunteer somewhere,” said Taylor Snavley, sophomore member from Whitko High School.

HANDS is guided and directed by the Whitley County Community Foundation, and the three Whitley County school corporations.

The Dekko Foundation provides financial support and vision for Youth Pods across its grantmaking areas. “Every two years we like to bring members of Youth Pods together,” said Tom Leedy, Dekko Foundation president. “The synergy from getting philanthropic young people together is amazing. The topic of the retreat-fewer resources-is a reality for many philanthropists today. We thought it was a good and timely thing for young people to learn more about.”

This year’s retreat was planned and hosted by Youth Pod members, alumni and adults who have a special personal interest in philanthropy. These leaders, who participate on a committee called “phish” chose speakers, planned the retreat schedule and hosted the two-day event.

Attending the Youth Pod Retreat from Whitley County were Allyson Shambaugh, Connor Stouder, Ian Rooda, Hannah Schaefer, Janelle Gouwens, and Taylor Snavley.
Acting as adult supporters for the young people from Whitley County were John Slavich and Rachael LePage.

HANDS works to improve education and the quality of life in Whitley County. The organization accepts grant applications to address their mission and looks for community projects that allow them to use further their mission.

For more information about HANDS, contact John Slavich at (260) 224-5224, ext. 104, email at jslavwccf@gmail.com, or visit the WCCF Web site.

WHITLEY COUNTY, Ind. (Nov. 18, 2009) – Sometimes the best way to prevent an accident is to cause one.

That’s exactly what happened at Parkview Whitley Hospital for four days last week, when EMTs and paramedics took part in an intense simulated interactive driving experience to hone their emergency-vehicle driving skills.

The program is offered by the Indiana Public Employers Plan, Inc., as part of its Safety and Loss Prevention Program, and is administered by Downey Insurance in Kokomo, Ind. Funds to administer the program come from an Indiana Department of Homeland Security grant. EMS director Duane Ginder arranged for the simulator to be brought to Parkview Whitley Hospital to train not only his staff, but several local police officers
and fire fighters as well.

“This is the first-ever opportunity for our emergency workers to train in simulated driving scenarios,” said Ginder. “The advantage is that it teaches important driving skills without putting anyone at risk.”

The drivers were trained in a 35-foot-long climate-controlled “Team-IPEP” trailer parked on the hospital campus near the EMS department. The trailer houses a very impressive three-screen arcade-like training simulator, which cost $100,000 to develop. The state-of-the-art virtual driving simulator was designed and built by the same company that manufactures the Link Flight Simulator used by both military and civilian flight schools. It is equipped with two simulators, one for training EMS and police, and another for fire fighters.

Certified instructor Thomas Clarkson of Downey Insurance described the instructions to teach trainee, controlling the driving situations from a computer located behind the trainee. Following a few exercises to get the trainees accustomed to the simulator, each driver was put through emergency scenarios. The instructor read a traffic-accident situation and then the driver maneuvered his or her way through road traffic
to the emergency location.

The drivers had to carefully drive around true-to-life obstacles such as children on bicycles, unheeding drivers, sun glare, fog, blind intersections and more. Following each scenario, the instructor played back the driver’s session, pausing to point out responses that went well and ways the driver could have done better.

The Team IPEP simulator program has been operating in Indiana since 2000.

WHITLEY COUNTY, Ind. — Effective Nov. 17, 2009, Parkview Whitley Hospital will lift the temporary restrictions on visitors that were in place to minimize the spread of H1N1 influenza.

Though the restrictions have been lifted, visitors should continue to exercise good judgment and refrain from visiting people in the hospital if they are experiencing any flu-like symptoms.

Parkview Whitley Hospital extends a thank you to patients, families and visitors for their patience and understanding while the restricted visitor policy was in place.

The restricted visitor policy will also be lifted at all other Parkview Health hospitals in the area. For more information go to www.parkview.com.

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (Nov. 11, 2009) – A free H1N1 immunization clinic  will be held Thursday, Nov. 12, from 16 p.m. at the Whitley County Government Center, Health Department, 220 W. Van Buren St.

The clinic is for Whitley County women who are pregnant, for any child from 6 months to 18 years of age, people ages 19-64 with chronic health problems, especially pulmonary conditions, and for any parent/caretaker with a child under the age of six months. Children under 6 months old cannot be immunized and therefore the parents are being offered the immunizations.

No appointment is necessary. Participants must show proof of (Whitley County) residency or be referred by a Whitley County doctor and must be in the target groups specified.

For more information call the Whitley County Health Department’s immunization clinic at 260-244-2310.

Watch this site for announcements of the WCHD weekly clinics as well as information on which groups will be eligible for the H1N1 vaccines.