WARSAW — State Representative Dave Wolkins was presented with a plaque recognizing his 32 years of service during the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting Tuesday, March 17. Commissioner President Brad Jackson and Vice-President Bob Conley each said a few words about Wolkins. Jackson described Wolkins as “always accessible” and said “When you need something done, Dave’s …read more.

INDIANAPOLIS — Artwork by a local artist will soon be displayed at the Statehouse, according to State Rep. David Wolkins (R-Warsaw).   Penny French-Deal of North Manchester was selected to have her artwork decorate the Statehouse as part of Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Treasurer Kelly Mitchell’s Hoosier Women Artists initiative. Forty-six pieces of art were …read more.

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill realized twice this week how painfully little support he has from his own party. The Republican (and former Elkhart County prosecutor) has seen his first term as Attorney General become marred in a groping scandal that began in the summer of 2018. Hill is accused of inappropriately touching four women …read more.

INDIANAPOLIS — Members of the Indiana House of Representatives at the Statehouse honored State. Rep. Dave Wolkins (R-Warsaw) for his 32 years of serving House District 18, Tuesday, Feb. 25. “Being a good husband and father are my greatest achievements, and being a public servant has been one of the biggest honors of my life,” …read more.

Numerous people who watched the Warsaw mayoral race last year wondered out loud about the close connection between  Republican challenger Ron Shoemaker and the Kosciusko County Fair Board since some fair board members seemed to be supporting Shoemaker and adamantly against incumbent Mayor Joe Thallemer. The fair board scheduled two events at the Shrine Building …read more.

WARSAW – Education issues were front and center Friday at the legislative “Third House” in Warsaw as two Republican state lawmakers defended the state’s efforts to provide more support for teachers. State lawmakers are more than halfway done with this year’s short legislative session. Attempts to consider legislation to boost teacher pay this year died …read more.

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is now facing the potential for a 60-day suspension following a recommendation Friday in the continuing fallout from the groping allegations against the first-term state official. Hill, the former Elkhart County Prosecutor, was accused of groping women at a party in Indianapolis in March of 2018. While a special prosecutor …read more.

What a week! Nationally – and locally – we saw a few things in recent days in politics that many would probably just as soon forget. As the nation’s eyes watched the Iowa Caucuses debacle, a reality show version of a State of the Union and an impeachment vote that acquitted President Donald Trump (followed …read more.

WABASH — Wabash County Democratic Party Chairman Chad Harris recently entered the race for the seat of outgoing District 18 State Rep. Dave Wolkins. Harris, 40, has been the Wabash County Democratic Chair for four years. He currently resides in Wabash. He is a 1998 graduate of Northfield Jr./Sr. High School in Wabash. He works …read more.

Watching the Indiana House District 18 race initially unfold, I’m guessing this is not how the Republican Party in Kosciusko County would like to see the transfer of power begin for one of the longest-serving local lawmakers in Indiana, State Rep. Dave Wolkins. While there are apparently numerous people in the Warsaw area interested in …read more.

WABASH – Russell “Russ” Reahard formally announced his candidacy for the Indiana House State District 18 seat Friday, Jan. 10. Reahard, who ran unsuccessfully for the seat two years ago has filed to run again in a bid to replace Dave Wolkins, who announced he would not seek reelection to the General Assembly after more …read more.

WINONA LAKE —One week after declaring plans to run, Alan Alderfer announced Tuesday, Jan. 7,  that he is suspending his campaign for the Indiana House of Representatives District 18 seat in the May 2020 Republican primary election. Alderfer announced his plans last week on the same day that longtime State Rep. Dave Wolkins announced he …read more.

Indiana’s Third District U.S. Rep. Jim Banks is getting more and more face time on Fox News these days. He appeared on the network earlier in the week and then returned Friday night on the Lou Dobbs show to discuss the airstrike in Iraq that killed a leading military general in Iran, Qassam Soleimani. Banks, …read more.

WARSAW – State Rep. Dave Wolkins announced Monday he will not seek re-election in 2020 and is supporting a bid by businessman Alan Alderfer for the District 18 seat. Wolkins, who has represented the 18th District in the Indiana General Assembly since 1988, has struggled with health issues in recent years. He said his health …read more.

I’m going to make a bold, end-of-the-year prediction.  Those summers when motorized racing at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds was a regular weekend tradition for decades are now gone forever. Enjoy the memories. Savor the fun. But most of all, please admit that the racing tradition is over. The fair board’s attempt to revive racing appears …read more.

Terry Howie, pictured in the middle, is seen with then-Congressman Todd Young (L) and Winona Lake Clerk-Treasurer Kent Adams. Howie died Monday, Dec. 2, at his home in Winona Lake. WINONA LAKE — Longtime Winona Lake civic leader, Terry Howie, passed away Monday evening, Dec. 2. Howie died following an accident at his home. He …read more.

State Rep. Dave Wolkins conceded this week he was wrong when he said Warsaw Community Schools was moving $15 million from salaries to operational costs. The District 18 state lawmaker from Warsaw made the suggestion a week ago in this column and reiterated it in a statement he issued. He was reacting in response to …read more.

  Shelly Gilliland displays a replica of her “Scrabble Pete Quilt” at a recent campaign event. Photo provided. Leave it to a Warsaw resident to come up with a homespun, Midwestern way of showing a presidential candidate some campaign love. Shelly Gilliland first met South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg at a gathering for Congressional candidate …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.

While the upcoming Warsaw City Council election (there are four with contested races) will be the main attraction at the ballot box for many on Nov. 5, lots of people at Wednesday’s GOP fish fry in Warsaw already seem focused on contests in 2020. The following are a few enticing tidbits to consider: Karin McGrath …read more.

WARSAW — Applications are now open for the Indiana House Republican Internship Program during the 2020 legislative session, according to State Representative Dave Wolkins. Wolkins said the internship program is a unique opportunity for college and graduate students, and recent graduates to gain valuable hands-on experience and apply their skills in a real-world setting. He …read more.

WARSAW — Optimist club members and friends of John Elliott gathered Wednesday morning to honor the longtime community leader who plans to move soon to South Carolina. Members of the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club and others honored Elliott — who turned 75 on Wednesday — at the Shrine Building, making it clear how much he …read more.

As Warsaw Police Department’s controversy festers, State Rep. Dave Wolkins is saying what many on both sides of the issue are thinking. Residual anger from the Aaron Rovenstine scandal a few years ago continues to linger and has complicated some people’s impressions of the uproar over Warsaw Police Chief Scott Whitaker interaction with a 74-year-old man …read more.

[weaver_youtube Hker1vQuZ2U rel=0]   Kyle Dukes, Tyler Huffer and Chris Francis upset their Republican incumbent opponents Tuesday in the May primary. Bob Conley was the only Republican incumbents in a local race who came away with a win. The county saw a 26.16 percent total voter turnout. Dukes received the county sheriff’s nomination for the …read more.

Syracuse can now “push the play button” on three years’ worth of street paving, crack sealing and ADA-compliant sidewalk renovations, according to Doug Burgess, capital program management director for the Fort Wayne district of the Indiana Department of Transportation. Burgess and Mark Ober, the district’s project manager, presented a certificate acknowledging a $352,688 state grant …read more.

INDIANAPOLIS – House Bill 1494, proposed by State Rep. Dave Wolkins of Winona Lake, was passed by the House of Representatives in the Indiana General Assembly and was assigned to the Senate Committee on Rules and Legislative Procedure.

Responding to a Tuesday, Feb. 21, article in Ink Free News, State Rep. Dave Wolkins (R-Warsaw) clarified some issues pertaining to his proposed HB 1494 regulating confined feeding operations for the state’s farmers. The article stated, “The bill changes the language from obtaining approval to merely getting a permit.” “An approval by definition is a …read more.

INDIANAPOLIS — House Bill 1001 has passed the house and moves on to the Senate. Local State Rep. David Wolkins, House District 18, supported the bill. “This proposal would provide adequate funding to maintain and repair our state’s infrastructure with a long-term solution, versus other short-term plans,” stated Wolkins. “Under this bill a larger portion …read more.

[weaver_youtube H1if9ASi8fM rel=8] An overview of the 2015 legislative session and what the 2016 session may bring were topics of the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce’s 3rd House Wrap Up session this morning. Reps. Dave Wolkins and Curt Nisly were the only two legislatures able to attend. “An awful lot was going on,” stated Wolkins, who …read more.

The Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce would like to invite the public to a Third House Session at 8 a.m. Friday, March 27, at the Center Lake Pavilion, located at 119 E. Canal Street. The public sessions provide Kosciusko County business owners and residents with opportunities to engage with state lawmakers on legislative issues. The Kosciusko …read more.

[weaver_youtube K_NPDy7xWQY rel=0] Kosciusko County Farm Bureau hosted an opportunity to meet and talk with state legislators and a county councilman Saturday morning. The meeting room at the Biomet Drive, Warsaw, location was standing room only. Topics focused around education and proposed legislation, misconceptions on who makes the rules for the State Department of Education, …read more.

[weaver_youtube B5pxWlDRpMg rel=0]   Senator Carlin Yoder and Representatives Dave Wolkins and Curtis Nisly participated in the first Third House Session hosted by the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce Friday morning. The three elected officials briefly spoke of activity during recent sessions and answered questions from the several dozen individuals in attendance. Wolkins stated there has …read more.

The Indiana Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed local candidates for the Nov. 4 elections. Among them are Democrat David Kolbe, Warsaw, who is seeking the District 22 seat for Indiana’s House of Representatives, and Republican Dave Wolkins, Winona Lake, the incumbent for District 18 House of Representatives. In a press release issued this morning, the …read more.

State Representative Dave Wolkins (R-Winona Lake) and fellow state representatives welcomed a group of House pages on Thursday as part of the Future Farmers of America Page Day. Rep. Wolkins was joined by Lane Wolf from Whitko High School. “The FFA is a great organization, and it was a pleasure to meet with Lane and …read more.

Rep. David Wolkins has filed the necessary paperwork as a candidate in House District 18, encompassing Wabash County, and portions of Kosciusko, Miami and Grant counties. Wolkins commented, “Serving in the legislature has been a privilege. Looking forward, I will continue working to make government smaller and less consequential in the lives of Hoosier families …read more.

The Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce is conducting a 3rd House Session at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 24, at Center Lake Pavilion, 119 E. Canal St., Warsaw. Officials scheduled to be in attendance include Sen. Ryan Mishler, Sen. Carlin Yoder, Rep. Rebecca Kubacki and Rep. David Wolkins. The event is free and open to the …read more.

The Government Issues Committee of the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce is holding a public Mid-Session Legislative Update on Friday, March 22, at the KCH Health & Wellness Center, 1500 Provident Dr., Warsaw. The event will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Wellness Center Conference Room. Format for the event will be a panel of …read more.