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 – As City Council works to line up the ability to retain its own attorney, one thing is clear: Individuals on council won’t be able to just pick up the phone and get some quick thoughts. On Monday night, Dec. 16, council decided to take a step back and will retool their plan to have …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.

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.

The headline was pretty simple: Warsaw City Council Explores The Idea Of Hiring Its Own Attorney. Getting to the possible end result in which council would retain its own attorney for questions they’d rather not ask the city attorney or two provided by the state will be a long slog and it certainly won’t show …read more.

WARSAW — Three students at Lincoln Elementary have been honored with the Ronnie Shoemaker Award. Recipients this year are sixth-grader Chris Lewis, fifth-grader Elizabeth Puckett, and sixth-grader Nate Carlin, according to a news release. The Ronnie Shoemaker Award was started in 2003 by Christina Teevan, a former Lincoln teacher, and Ron Shoemaker to honor and …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.

      WARSAW — It might have only been a primary election victory on Tuesday, but Mayor Joe Thallemer, a longtime member of the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club, was looking a bit more optimistic early Wednesday. Thallemer was up bright and early Wednesday for the Optimist meeting after celebrating the night before in what …read more.

WARSAW — Joe Thallemer took a decisive step toward re-election Tuesday night by defeating City Councilman Ron Shoemaker in a bruising primary battle for mayor. Thallemer won 63.4 percent of the vote against Shoemaker and will move on to the general election without an announced opponent. Thallemer said he was pleased with the margin of …read more.

  WARSAW — Mayor Joe Thallemer fought back a challenge against fellow Republican Ron Shoemaker in Tuesday’s primary election. Thallemer won with 63 percent of the vote. The two-term mayor now heads into the general election with no opponent. Look for a full story later tonight on InkFreeNews.com.

WARSAW — By Wednesday morning, either Mayor Joe Thallemer or City Councilman Ron Shoemaker will wake up and see their political career sidelined. And the other will prepare for the fall election that is currently void of any opposition. Thallemer faces Shoemaker in Tuesday’s Republican Primary for mayor of Warsaw. In numerous ways, the two …read more.

WARSAW — Given what was likely his final chance to speak before a large crowd prior to Tuesday’s election, mayoral candidate Ron Shoemaker tossed aside prepared remarks and ad-libbed a short two-minute speech at the Kosciusko County Republicans Lincoln Day Dinner Thursday night, May 2. Instead of providing a vision for what he intends to …read more.

In all of my years in daily journalism, including more than ten covering local elections, I’ve never seen a mayoral candidate shun the media the way Republican mayoral candidate Ron Shoemaker has chosen to do so in Warsaw. Shoemaker, a city councilman who faces fellow Republican Mayor Joe Thallemer in the May 7 primary, had …read more.

WARSAW — Mayor Joe Thallemer is fighting back against two claims, including accusations that he ordered a search warrant on Chad Zartman, a landlord who lives outside the city but has rental properties in Warsaw. Zartman, who often attends and records city council meetings, was served with a search warrant March 28 by Indiana State …read more.

WARSAW — Mayoral candidate Ron Shoemaker will host a fundraiser Monday, April 29, and his campaign is making it clear who is and is not invited. The Republican city council member posted on his campaign Facebook page on Thursday an announcement for a fundraiser set for 6 p.m. Monday at the Shrine Building in Warsaw. …read more.

WARSAW — Mayor Joe Thallemer has maintained a significant financial advantage against Republican challenger Ron Shoemaker two weeks before the primary election. Thallemer, seeking a third term in office, built up a large amount of money last year and has retained a large amount of cash on hand. Shoemaker, a first-term city councilman, began fundraising …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.

WARSAW — Mayoral candidate Ron Shoemaker has canceled his second listening tour and is instead offering to have one-on-one conversations with Warsaw voters. Plans for his scheduled second listening tour were removed from his campaign website last week after his first event Thursday, April 11. Shoemaker faces Mayor Joe Thallemer in the Republican primary on …read more.

WARSAW — What was supposed to be a mayoral debate turned into more of a community forum for incumbent Mayor Joe Thallemer while his challenger, Ron Shoemaker, chose not to participate and instead hosted an event three-quarters of a mile away Thursday night, April 11. At the Lakeview Middle School’s auditorium, Thallemer sat on stage …read more.

WARSAW — The Board of Aviation Commissioners extended four hangar leases and approved a land maintenance memorandum of agreement during its meeting Tuesday, April 9. Hangar leases for Jim Nolan, Greg White, Steve Ashton, and John Ries were extended and approved by the board. “These tenants are so far in good standing with the airport,” …read more.

Two-term mayor Joe Thallemer is not taking his re-election for granted. Eight years ago, Thallemer was one of four Republicans running for mayor. Four years ago, he was unopposed in his re-election bid. But this year, he’s facing a challenge from the upstart first-term Councilman Ron Shoemaker. Last week, I gave Shoemaker a chance to …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.

Warsaw City Councilmen Ron Shoemaker (left) and Michael Klondaris participate in a meeting in February. Shoemaker and Klondaris both expressed concern over circumstances surrounding a Jan. 25 incident involving Police Chief Scott Whitaker. *Update – This story has been updated to include comments from Mayor Joe Thallemer* WARSAW — City Councilmen Michael Klondaris and Ron …read more.

WARSAW – Mayoral candidate Ron Shoemaker has balked at an invitation to debate incumbent mayor Joe Thallemer. A debate invitation from News Now Warsaw was extended to both Republican candidates on Jan. 18. Thallemer quickly accepted, but Shoemaker was slow to respond and never confirmed. In recent weeks, Shoemaker told News Now Warsaw he would …read more.

From left, City Attorney Scott Reust gestures while talking with city council member Jack Wilhite, Cindy Dobbins and Mayor Joe Thallemer in a meeting Monday night, March 4. WARSAW — Plans for the city council to meet in an executive session Tuesday, March 5, have been canceled, according to a notice from city hall. Council …read more.

WARSAW — Plans for the city council to discuss concerns over the police department in an executive session were thrown into chaos Monday night, March 4. The executive session was scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, but City Councilman Ron Shoemaker questioned the legality of the meeting Monday, claiming the topic involving police matters …read more.

WARSAW — The reason for a lack of support by Warsaw City Council involving a cell phone proposal for police on  Feb. 19 appears to extend beyond just a change in policy. InkfreeNews reached out to all seven city council members about the issue. Four responded, with several saying they believe council was reluctant to …read more.

Four people will compete to be the first judge of the new Superior Court in Kosciusko County. According to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s office, the candidates are: Robert Bishop, an attorney who works in the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s office and oversees child support; Lindsey Grossnickle, a deputy prosecutor in Whitley County; Christopher Kehler a longtime local attorney, and Chad Miner, …read more.

WARSAW — Current Warsaw Councilman Ron Shoemaker, Republican, officially filed for the position of Warsaw mayor today, Jan. 18. Shoemaker has served as a councilmember since 2015 when he won a caucus to fill the term of the late Charlie Smith. He first showed interest in the mayoral position when he established an exploratory committee in …read more.

WARSAW — Warsaw City Councilmen Ron Shoemaker and Jerry Frush are applauding the end of the city’s practice of email voting with the Warsaw Board of Public Works. In a prepared statement, Frush and Shoemaker stated they “would like to commend Mayor Thallemer for his decision … The decision was absolutely necessary and laudable.” The …read more.

WARSAW — Members of the Warsaw Board of Aviation Commissioners for the Warsaw Municipal Airport approved the 2016-2022 Airport Capital Improvement Program during Tuesday evening’s regular monthly meeting, Jan. 12. The CIP includes budgeting for power line relocation in 2017 and 2018, and the design phase of a tunnel concept for the CR 100E road …read more.

WARSAW — To complete the 2015 election process members of the Warsaw Common Council, mayor and clerk-treasurer were sworn in at the first meeting of the council Monday evening, Jan. 4. City attorney Mike Valentine administered the oath of office to each elected official. Failure to administer the oath of office by the end of …read more.

WARSAW — Ron Shoemaker was elected in a bifurcated Republican Caucus for Warsaw District 2 Council seat Thursday evening. The caucus was to fill the unfinished term, through Dec. 31, of the late Charlie Smith and to fill that seat for the next four years starting Jan. 1. Shoemaker, who serves on the city’s board …read more.