Dear Editor, Recently, local attorney and County Commission candidate Travis McConnell submitted a letter outlining why he and his supporters should be able to display yard signs even though candidates of the past (my self included) have always adhered to a “no signs should be displayed until 60 days before the election” policy. McConnell’s contention …read more.

WARSAW —  Oakwood Sexton Hal Heagy told board members last week he received information from the Indiana State Department of Health about the handling of fetal remains. Interest in how cemeteries should handle fetal remains has surfaced as a result of a recent court ruling and legislation moving through the Indiana General Assembly. Heagy said …read more.

District 22 State Rep. Curt Nisly has once again introduced legislation that would ban all abortions in Indiana. The bill would legally define the act of abortion as murder and would allow for the arrest of federal officials who try to intervene. The bill, HB 1089, allows for federal officials who take action to uphold …read more.

WARSAW – Chris Plack was appointed to the Oakwood Cemetery Board this week. Plack, who ran an unsuccessful city council campaign last year as an independent, was appointed to the board by Mayor Joe Thallemer, a Republican, who then swore him in on Friday during the board of works meeting. Plack said he’s excited about …read more.

An interesting dynamic is lining up ahead of Warsaw City Council’s plan to hire its own attorney. Mayor Joe Thallemer is doing his best to stay out of the way as council moves toward hiring a city council attorney. While Thallemer says there are alternative sources of legal advice beyond City Attorney Scott Reust that …read more.

WARSAW — Republican dominance on City Council just got another four-year extension. Despite the biggest challenge in two decades, Republicans on city council rolled to victory in Tuesday’s election. Mayor Joe Thallemer, unopposed in Tuesday’s election, will begin his third term in office alongside six returning Republican councilmembers. The one new addition to council will …read more.

WARSAW — With Republican incumbents Mayor Joe Thallemer and Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen heading to election day unopposed, all of the contested races in the city involve City Council. Three Republican City Council incumbents, Cindy Dobbins, Jack Wilhite (both at-large) and Jerry Frush (District 4), are unopposed in their bids for re-election. Below are summaries of …read more.

The most competitive campaign for city council that Warsaw has seen in a long, long time will end Tuesday with what looks like a whimper. The all-Republican council will get its biggest test in decades on Tuesday, but as is often the case when there is not a marquee mayoral race, there does not appear …read more.

It’s always interesting who you might run into at an airport — especially a military airport. That was the case for Bill and Helga Curts, of Chapman Lake, on Oct 2. Bill is a Vietnam and Korea veteran and the couple had stopped at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland with plans to catch a …read more.

Developer David Matthews recently shared with me a breakdown of price points for his three types of homes that will be part of the Buffalo Street project. The first phase of townhouses is already under construction. The next step will be a series of mews, smaller homes that will be adjacent the townhouses on the …read more.

  WARSAW — Jeremy Skinner spent as much time Wednesday, Oct. 16, explaining what a residential TIF District is as he did explaining what it was not. Warsaw’s Plan Director led a discussion Wednesday at Eisenhower Elementary in front of a sparse crowd in the first of four public meetings about plans to establish two …read more.

WARSAW — Five months after a turbulent mayoral primary, two-term mayor Joe Thallemer appeared to be one of the happiest people at the annual GOP Fish Fry at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds Wednesday night. At a similar event earlier this year, Thallemer and a large contingent of his supporters, all wearing campaign shirts, filed in …read more.

Progress on the North Buffalo Street development continues to slowly gain momentum. Construction of the first townhouses is progressing. The existing work involves three townhouses, one of which will serve as a model. The other two will remain as shells so that floorplans can be firmed up with the buyers once deals are done. The …read more.

An amateurish attempt to have city council candidate Chris Plack’s name stricken from the fall ballot died quickly Friday. A letter attacking Plack’s candidacy as an independent candidate had been sent to local media, but the issue was set aside by the Kosciusko County Election Board after reviewing the circumstances in a meeting Friday morning. …read more.

It’s been five years since Warsaw City Council shot down an ordinance that would have allowed residents to have a few hens in their backyards, but according to two candidates, the issue is still on the minds of voters. Josh Finch and Chris Plack, both vying for the District 2 seat on council, said the …read more.

Former Warsaw Mayor Jeff Plank will be remembered as a great communicator. He loved to give speeches and had a penchant for releasing handwritten notes that sometimes doubled as news releases. But fast forward 30 years or so and you’ll see that Joe Thallemer’s administration has taken communications to an impressive level in numerous ways. …read more.

I’ve always enjoyed attending the Hoosier State Press Association workshops in Indianapolis because they invigorate my desire to be a productive, smart reporter (trust me, I’m still learning). But the event I attended on Wednesday, June 19, in Indianapolis with Mail-Journal Reporter Deb Patterson was outstanding. In addition to separate discussions on the incorporation of …read more.

Two candidates for city council are calling for changes along Husky Trail after 8-year-old Gidieon Cook was struck and killed along the road in front of his school, Harrison Elementary. Democrat Sarah McNeal-Strahan Lenfestey, who faces incumbent Republican Jeff Grose in the fall election for Warsaw City Council District 1 seat, took to Facebook to …read more.

WARSAW — A self-proclaimed keyboard warrior who worked on dozens of campaigns years ago in Alaska has taken steps to run as an independent candidate for Warsaw City Council on the fall ballot. One week after Primary Election Day, 39-year-old Chris Plack announced plans on Tuesday, May 14, to run for District 2 city council …read more.

  Kosciusko County is beginning the initial steps toward looking at whether to adapt to voting centers at some point in the future. Numerous other counties in Indiana have made the switch or are looking at changing. Vote centers are growing in popularity in the state because of the convenience the system affords voters who …read more.

Republican mayoral candidate Ron Shoemaker received an endorsement from Elkhart Mayor Tim Neese Thursday, April 18. Neese endorsed the primary challenger to Mayor Joe Thallemer in a 16-second video posted on Shoemaker’s campaign Facebook page Thursday. In it, Neese refers to Shoemaker as a good friend but does not offer any other reasons why Shoemaker …read more.

By CHRIS PLACK, Carved Marketing Manager ELKHART — Carved LLC has launched a Meta Puzzle to help those still recovering from the Holiday weekend pass the time. Here is how the puzzle works: Each puzzle will be released at the start of the hour (starting at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 30). Those partaking in the …read more.

Warsaw Police Department Officers of the Warsaw Police Department recently investigated the following accidents: Thursday, March 20, 11:01 p.m. East Winona Avenue. Drivers: Christopher M. Plack, 34, Chickadee Lane, Warsaw; and John R. Sprong, 80, Henderson Drive, Warsaw. Pack advised police that he was traveling southbound on SR 15 near the high school when a …read more.

Tournament time is by far the most anticipated time of the year for me. I wait all fall and winter for the state tournament to get started and as of last night, that time is finally here! This week I have divided my usual one article into two separate, yet equally as exciting, articles. Why? …read more.