Publication

MC
MIAMI COUNTY
SUSPECT NAMED, ARREST MADE
IN DRUG BUST pg.4
KOKOMO COLLEGES
SEE BETTER
GRADUATION RATES pg.3
VO L U M E 3 , I S S U E 3 1 • W E E K O F A U G U S T 5 , 2 0 1 5
b
grae
e
a frpy!
co
Fighting the
floodplain pg. 6-7
Miami Co.
farmland
dedicated to
former owner
pg.2
FISH PROVE NO
MATCH FOR CLINIC’S
GRADUATES pg.10
2
Week of August 5, 2015
MC WEEKLY
Miami Co. farmland dedicated to former owner
■ 226 acres will be
used for research into
organic farming
BY JOSH SIGLER
MC WEEKLY
AMBOY – Betty Phelps Refior developed an affinity for
bees as a fifth-grader growing up in Peru in the early
1930s.
She mounted bees for a
school project, and was fascinated thereafter, reading
books like Gene Stratton-Porter’s “Keeper of the Bees”
along the way.
“We had a nice selection of
them,” the 93-year-old Phelps
Refior said. “You could find a
lot more bees then than you
can now.”
She’s not exaggerating. The
University of Maryland in
2013 released a joint study
with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture which found that
chemicals such as fungicides
used in farming were causing alarming amounts of
bees to die off. It’s hard to say
if it’s due solely to agricultural practices, but the study
estimated 10 million beehives have been destroyed
since 2006.
Phelps Refior had always
hoped she’d be able to do her
part to help give bees a fighting chance into the future.
Sixty years after marrying
her first husband Charles
Phelps, she’ll now have that
chance.
On July 28 a 226-acre plot
of farmland just outside the
small, unincorporated Miami
County burgh of North Grove
which had been owned by
the Phelps family for the last
128 years was dedicated in
her honor and renamed The
Betty Phelps Refior Bee Sanctuary. She donated the land
to the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in 2013.
“I’ve b een working to
make this place organic ever
since I had anything to do
with it,” she said. “This is an
answer to my dreams. I hope
it will be a safe haven. … We
all have to work together on
this.”
Phelps Refior marr ied
Charles in 1955, and after he
died, she remarried and relocated to Wisconsin. It was
there where she became acquainted with the Michael
Fields Agricultural Institute.
She attended their organic
farming workshops, sometimes riding her bike 17
miles from her home near
Whitewater to the Institute
located in East Troy.
She grew to admire the
work of the institute so much
that she decided to donate
the land.
Michael Fields Agricultural
Institute executive director
David Andrews said the organization is in the process
of converting the farmland to
certified organic ground, a
process that could take another year or two. Until it
achieves that status, it’ll be
kept as alfalfa fields.
Nothing is definitive yet,
but the institute has thrown
around several ideas about
what exactly to do with the
land. Its nine-member board
of directors has discussed doing research work on the
farm, as well as the prospects
of finding an organic farmer
>> See LAND
// Page 3
Josh Sigler | MC Weekly
GIVER: Betty Phelps Refior talks to family while standing
next to a stone dedicated in her honor July 28 on
farmland she donated to the Michael Fields Agricultural
Institute. The 93-year-old Peru native hopes her donation
can help sustain life for bees.
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MC WEEKLY
Week of August 5, 2015
Co. cold case headed for trial
Kokomo sees better ■Miami
DNA leads police
to man suspected
graduation rates
of murder in 1992
■ Ivy Tech, IUK
launch initiatives
to improve student
success
BY LAUREN
SLAGTER
MC WEEKLY
While the Kokomo campuses of Indiana University
and Ivy Tech Community College have seen some level of
improvement in their graduation rates, both institutions
still lag behind the state average college completion rate.
The Indiana Commission
for Higher Education released
its second annual college completion report on July 15 summarizing how many students
at each higher education institution are graduating on time.
The number of Hoosiers earning bachelor’s degrees in four
years has increased by nearly
7 percentage points in the past
five years, the report shows.
Improving the state’s college
completion rate is one goal of
the Indiana CHE’s “Reaching
Higher, Achieving More” plan.
The CHE has set a goal of
having 60 percent of the state’s
population earn a college degree or workforce credential
by 2025. Currently, only 34.7
percent of adults in Indiana
have completed a degree or
certification beyond high
school.
At IUK, only 17.3 percent of
students who enrolled at the
>> See GRADS
// Page 5
BY CARSON GERBER
MC WEEKLY
Nearly three years after his
initial arrest, Timothy Jimerson is
set to face trial for the murder of
Toni Spicer, a 27-year-old mother
found beaten and strangled to
death inside her Miami County
trailer in 1992.
The jury trial will began Monday and is scheduled to run until
Aug. 11.
Jimerson, 55, was arrested in
Mississippi in October 2012 after
DNA evidence linked him to the
murder.
Spicer was found dead by her
two children, then 9 and 7 years
old, inside their home in Maple
Lawn Village Trailer Court, just
north of the Howard-Miami
county line, on Aug. 29, 1992.
The children found Spicer tied
to her bed, naked, with what
appeared to be
slashes to her
throat and
wrists. Detectives later determined she had Timothy Jimerson
been strangled
to death, possibly with pantyhose.
A probable cause affidavit
states she had also been beaten
about the head, face and chest.
Before his arrest, Jimerson had
served eight months in a Mississippi prison in 2010 for a felony
DUI conviction, where police
took samples of his DNA.
Twenty years later, that sample
led to a match with DNA taken
at the crime scene.
According to the affidavit,
Jimerson lived across the street
from Spicer at the time of the
murder.
Detectives said the night of her
death, Spicer was working at the
Hip Hugger as a dancer. The affidavit states Jimerson was also at
the bar that night.
Jimerson has been scheduled
to face trial for the murder five
times since his arrest, but each
trial was postponed because of
requests for continuance from
both prosecutors and Jimerson’s
public defenders.
Miami County Prosecutor
Bruce Embrey said the fact that
the case is so old is the reason it’s
taken so long to get to trial.
“It’s a 23-year-old case,” he
said. “It’s taken awhile.”
Embrey said prosecutors have
subpoenaed at least 15 witnesses
to testify during the seven-day
trial, including DNA experts, a
detective from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and prison inmates who
had contact with Jimerson.
“It’s a relief to finally have all
this done,” he said. “We just want
to get it over and get a conviction.”
• Carson Gerber can be
reached at 765-854-6739, carson.
gerber@kokomotribune.com or on
Twitter @carsongerber1.
Land ...
<< CONTINUED from Page 2
to work the land.
Andrews expressed his
gratitude for the donation.
Up until 2013, the only land
the institute owned was the
5 acres its buildings sit on.
“It means we’ll have a
source of land we’ll have
forever, so to speak, in perpetuity, that we can call
our own,” Andrews said.
“One of the things we’re
thinking about doing in
research is comparing organic and biodynamic agricultural systems. To do
that, we’ll need a piece of
land to have control of for
20 or 30 years. This would
be an ideal site for longterm trials.”
• Josh Sigler can be
reached at 765-454-8580, by
email at josh.sigler@
kokomotribune.com or on
Twitter @JSig_KT.
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Week of August 5, 2015
MC WEEKLY
Renovation project unearths history
■ Beam hidden
for 50 years
contains gems from
Grissom’s past
FROM STAFF REPORTS
J. Kyle Keener | For the Kokomo Tribune
SEARCH: A member of the Indiana State Police enters a home in the 500 block of
Raleigh Drive as part of an investigation.
Suspect named, arrest made in drug bust
FROM STAFF REPORTS
GALVESTON — The identity
of and charges against the
suspect arrested Wednesday
evening on Galveston’s west
side have been released.
Ramon David Keller, 43,
Galveston, was arrested on
charges of dealing cocaine,
Level 2 felony; possession of
cocaine with intent to deal,
Level 3 Felony; cultivating
marijuana, A misdemeanor;
maintaining a common nuisance, Level 6 felony; possession of marijuana; possession
of paraphernalia; possession
of hashish; and possession of
hash oil.
The arrest was made after
police squad cars clogged a
typically quiet street in a Galveston neighborhood on
Wednesday evening.
Several law enforcement
agencies arrived at a residence in the 500 block of
Raleigh Road just before 8
p.m., serving warrants on
drug-related charges.
Indiana State Police Sgt. T.J.
Zeiser said the police presence at the residence was the
result of a “multi-agency investigation that came to a
head today.”
Officers were serving warrants at the house on charges
relating to marijuana, byproducts of marijuana and
cocaine, Zeiser said. Saying
only that suspects were located inside the residence, he
declined to immediately release names of those charged
and details of what officers
found inside the residence.
Warrants served at resi-
dences in Miami and Howard
counties earlier in the day
Wednesday are related to the
warrants served Wednesday
evening at the Raleigh residence, he said. The warrants
served in Galveston originated in Miami County. He
confirmed arrests had been
made in Howard County on
Wednesday afternoon as part
of the investigation.
The CLEAN Team is a recently created task force of 11
law enforcement entities that
have dedicated resources to
fight narcotics in Fulton and
Miami counties. The team’s
main focus is narcotics enforcement with an emphasis
on methamphetamine-related
crimes. Drug officers from
Cass County agencies assisted
at the scene.
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE
BASE - A renovation project
of an old squadron building
at Grissom Air Reserve Base
recently unearthed a unique
glimpse into the history of
the base – and baseball – that
had been hidden for more
than 50 years.
During renovations of the
former 434th Security Forces
Squadron building, contractors came across a rafter with
scores from a baseball game,
and not just any game.
It was the deciding game of
the 1955 World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers
and the New York Yankees.
Scrawled in chalk on the
rafters was “Brooklyn
Dodgers 2-0, Oct. 4.” The
Dodgers beat the Yankees 2-0
on Oct. 4, 1955, to win the
series.
Other things scrawled on
the support system hidden
behind the walls of the building included “The Marines
were here first,” as well as a
list of names that likely belonged to construction workers.
John Somsel, 434th Civil
Engineer Squadron civil engineer technician, said the
find resonated with the people at the base.
“This building has given us
a lot of cool stuff,” he said.
“We routinely find things
during renovation projects,
but this building really has
been a jackpot for us.”
In addition to the writings,
contractors also found a directional gyro indicator between the walls. The device
was used to inform a pilot of
an aircraft’s heading.
The model was manufac-
tured in 1939 and used on all
U.S.-manufactured military
aircraft during World War II.
It appeared to still be in use
during the Korean and Cold
Wars on the Boeing B-29,
B-50, KC-97 and Douglas
A-20 Havoc.
The last date of use in the
military inventory appears to
be 1975.
Grissom officials said they
expect to find other historical
gems during future renovation projects.
“We routinely
find things
during
renovation
projects, but this
building really
has been a
jackpot for us.”
JOHN SOMSEL
434th Civil Engineer Squadron
civil engineer technician
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MC WEEKLY
Grads ...
<< CONTINUED from Page 3
university in 2010 graduated
four years later from the same
campus, compared to the statewide average of 36.1 percent of
students that completed a bachelor’s degree in four years.
Still, IUK’s four-year graduation rate for the 2010 cohort
improved by 4.6 percentage
points compared to the previous
group of students, according to
the college completion report.
Over the past five years, the
percentage of IUK students
graduating on time improved
by 8.9 percentage points, the
largest gains among Indiana’s
four-year universities.
“We’re very proud of the progress we’ve made in the four-year
graduation rate,” said IUK
Chancellor Sue Sciame-Giesecke. “We’ve been
working really hard on that.”
Of the full-time students who
enrolled in the Ivy Tech Kokomo
region in 2012, only 1.3 percent
graduated two years later, which
was a 3 percentage point drop
compared to the 2011 cohort,
according to the college completion report.
But 21.5 percent of full-time
Ivy Tech students who enrolled
in the Kokomo region in 2008
had completed their associate
degrees within three years,
which was greatest improvement (9.5 percentage points)
among two-year colleges compared to the 2007 cohort.
Ivy Tech and IUK both tend to
attract non-traditional college
students who may be working
to put themselves through college or raising families while
attending school, which could
make it more difficult for them
to take a full class load. Students
are considered full-time when
they take at least 12 credit
hours, but they need to earn 15
credits each semester in order to
finish an associate degree in two
years or a bachelor’s degree in
four years.
“We’re really just trying to
change the conversation about
college completion,” said Sciame-Giesecke, adding that completing a bachelor’s degree in
four years is simply not possible
for some students. “That’s going
to be a cultural shift because a
lot of students think ‘I need to
take it slow. I don’t want to do
too much so I can keep my
grades up.’”
Michelle Simmons, Ivy Tech’s
Kokomo campus president,
agrees that taking a full credit
load isn’t feasible for all students, and she emphasized that
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taking longer to graduate
shouldn’t be seen as a failure.
The majority of Ivy Tech students work while enrolled in
college, the majority are eligible
for federal financial aid and
many are first-generation college students, Simmons said.
Almost 60 percent of Ivy Tech
students are enrolled part-time,
she noted.
“We want our students to be
academically successful while
leading a balanced life, even if it
takes them longer than two
years to complete their degree,”
Simmons said. “The college
does not consider a student’s inability to complete on time a
failure. We encourage and urge
student success and provide
support services to help them
move as quickly as is reasonable to completion.”
In addition to juggling other
demands along with class work,
needing to take remedial
courses also prolongs students’
time in college, Simmons added.
Of the 2013-14 statewide Ivy
Tech graduates, 62 percent had
taken at least one remedial
course, she noted, which is
slightly better than the statewide average for graduating
high school seniors who go on
to need remedial courses.
“The good news is that due to
several changes in assessment
and policy and curriculum realignment, we are seeing a significant decrease in the number
of new incoming students needing remediation,” Simmons
said. “We began utilizing a customized assessment test,
adopted alternate assessment/
admittance methods, offered
free pre-assessment coursework
and began offering both math
and English courses in a co-requisite format. All of these recent
initiatives are allowing our students to enroll in college-level
coursework more quickly,
which we hope will result in an
increase of on-time graduation
rates.”
Both Ivy Tech and IUK are
implementing different strategies to try to help their students
graduate more quickly.
Every incoming IUK student
is given a four-year plan that
outlines what courses he or she
needs to take each year to meet
the requirements for a bachelor’s degree. During the first
week of class, students declare
the date they plan to graduate
and write it on pins that they
can wear around or keep on a
backpack for the rest of the
school year. IUK also discounts
summer tuition and has offered
more formats for summer
classes to encourage students to
take extra classes throughout
the summer and earn their degrees more quickly.
Sciame-Giesecke noted the
university has paid special attention to 21st Century Scholars, who must meet behavioral
and academic guidelines as well
as show financial need to receive the state scholarship that
covers the cost of tuition at a
public in-state college. Because
the scholarship only lasts for
eight semesters, it is especially
important for 21st Century
Scholars to graduate on time.
Across the state, 16.9 percent of
21st Century Scholars completed a bachelor’s degree in
four years and 57.6 percent had
graduated within eight years.
IUK received a $134,000
grant from the ICHE this spring
to expand its summer bridge
program, which gives students
receiving Frank O’Bannon
scholarships and 21st Century
Scholars – both of which are
based on financial need – an
early chance to get acclimated
to college life. Students in the
bridge program also are provided with additional advising
and guidance on career preparation and financial planning
throughout the academic year.
“We really have spent a lot of
time on 21st Century Scholars,”
Sciame-Giesecke said. “That’s a
group that is challenging be-
5
cause they often are the
first-generation college student,
so it’s a whole new culture for
them.”
Ivy Tech Kokomo launched its
first ASAP cohort this summer,
which allows a small group of
students to earn an associate’s
degree in 12 months. The
Kokomo campus unveiled a
new Express Enrollment Center
this week that will centralize
services for new and current
students.
The college also received the
CHE’s 21st Century Scholar
College Success Coaching Grant
to give those students more individualized attention and focuses on academic advising for
all students. Academic affairs
analyzed 14 of the courses with
the highest failure/withdraw
rates and recommended ways
to help more students succeed
in those classes, and starting this
fall students will be able to lock
in the current tuition rate for
subsequent terms as long as
they are enrolled in the required
number of credit hours and attend consecutive terms.
• Education reporter Lauren
Slagter can be reached at 765454-8587, by email at lauren.
slagter@kokomotribune.com or on
Twitter @LaurenSlagter.
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6
Week of August 5, 2015
MC WEEKLY
Fighting the floodplain
Peru has
spent years
trying to
reverse
designation
on prime
ground
Tae-Gyun Kim | MC Weekly
RUSTRATION: Peru Mayor Jim Walker looks at a bridge over Prairie Ditch. The city believes the floodplain designation is wrong and has worked for
ears to have it removed.
BY CARSON GERBER
MC WEEKLY
Peru Mayor Jim Walker has
g plans for the land that runs
ong U.S. 24 from Broadway
U.S. 31.
In the roughly 1,000 acres
at is right now mostly just
rm ground, he envisions box
ores, manufacturing plants,
mmercial buildings, restaunts and retail shops that
uld create more than 1,000
w jobs.
He foresees new, modern
ousing, as well as trails and
her recreational opportunis that could add thousands
new residents to the city that
rrently has a population of
ound 11,200.
Walker said the city aims to
rgest
Area’s Lcation
Sele lity
of Quales!
Vehic
make all that happen, but
there’s just one problem. And
it’s a big one.
Nearly the entire area is designated as a floodplain.
FEMA created the first floodplain map for the area in 1984
because of Prairie Ditch, which
runs nearly parallel with U.S.
24 to the south.
The map demarcates the
area that has the highest
chance of flooding, and sets
flood insurance rates for all the
residents living within the
floodplain.
But, Walker said, there’s just
one problem with the floodplain, and it’s a big one, too.
Prairie Ditch has never
flooded. Not once, he said.
Walker said he’s convinced
FEMA has incorrectly identified the area as a floodplain,
and he’s spent the last 10 years
fighting to get it changed.
Now, Walker said, the battle
between the city and federal
and state officials over the
floodplain may be nearing a
conclusion, and the outcome
will in part determine the future of Peru.
PRIME PROPERTY
Walker first started questioning the floodplain designation
after taking office in 2004.
That’s when he and Miami
County officials began eying
the area along U.S. 24 for future development.
He said officials pegged the
land as some of the most prime
real estate in the city for new
businesses and housing thanks
to its location along one of
most heavily traveled high-
ways in the county.
In 2007, the city annexed 66
acres south of U.S. 24 and west
of Broadway to entice business
to the area, with the long-term
goal of annexing all the land
along the highway from Broadway to U.S. 31.
Jim Tidd, executive director
of the Miami County Economic
Development Authority, said
that area is in the best position
for big development.
“The tendency is for communities to expand towards transportation arteries like U.S. 24
and U.S. 31,” he said. “It’s the
most feasible way that the city
would grow.”
But that growth has been
hampered by the floodplain
designation, Walker said.
That’s because any business
or resident who wants to build
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in the area has to bring the site
into compliance with the flood
map. That means making sure
the site sits at least 2 feet above
the base flood elevation as defined by FEMA.
For a company looking to
construct a 40,000-square-foot
building, that could equal more
than $1 million in extra costs
to prepare the site, Walker said.
The map also defines a narrow band along Prairie Ditch
called the floodway. In that
area, FEMA bars any kind of
development because of its
high risk of flooding.
Walker said with all the restrictions and building requirements tacked onto the floodplain and floodway, it’s difficult
to entice new businesses to the
area and start moving forward
with the city’s economic devel-
opment plans.
“I see potential out here,” he
said. “The creation of jobs, of
new retail stores, restaurants
and hotels. It’s a great development area, but this restriction
out there is killing it.
“This is a very important
piece of the puzzle for building
our community to provide new
opportunities for people in the
future. It’s just tough to see this,
because we have such a good
vision for what to do here.”
Tidd said although the floodplain doesn’t prohibit construction in the area, and some sites
wouldn’t even require much
extra development to bring
into compliance, the designation definitely has an impact
on economic development
projects there.
“Is it still a developable site?
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MC WEEKLY
Yes,” he said. “But would it be
more marketable if the floodplain was eliminated? Absolutely … As long as it has that
stigma, whether it’s right or
wrong, it’s not helping with development. Getting that designation removed only enhances
the opportunity the city has to
expand in that area.”
It’s not just a matter of economic development, though.
After FEMA created the floodinsurance-rate map in 1984,
more than 200 residences and
business had to begin buying
flood insurance.
Walker said some homeowners are shelling out more than
$1,000 a year for the federally-required insurance.
Add it all up, and there’s no
doubt the floodplain designation is having a negative impact on the city, he said, and
the hardest pill to swallow
about the whole situation is the
fact that it shouldn’t be there in
the first place.
THE FLOODPLAIN FIGHT
City officials first approached
the Indiana Department of
Natural Resources about removing the floodplain designation in 2005. Their argument
was simple: Prairie Ditch
doesn’t flood.
That conclusion was supported by record-setting rainfall
in 1998 and 2004. In both
years, the city experienced a
100-year-rain event that should
have swelled the ditch beyond
its banks.
But it didn’t, Walker said. In
fact, this June was the wettest
single month in the city’s history with 12.7 inches of rainfall.
That didn’t flood the ditch either, he said.
After that first meeting,
IDNR officials, who work as a
partner agency with FEMA,
told the city to hire an engineer
to inspect the floodplain and
determine its reach.
The city took the advice, and
that allowed officials to file a
Letter of Map Revision, which
is required by FEMA as part of
its process to appeal a floodplain designation.
In 2007, FEMA took a look at
the city’s map revision letter
and concurred with the engi-
neer’s report that the floodplain
wasn’t accurate.
It was a small victory for the
city that led to a revision of the
floodplain map, but it didn’t
significantly reduce the floodplain area or do away with the
designation completely, as the
city had hoped.
To totally remove the floodplain, FEMA said it needed
verifiable data to show the area
doesn’t flood and to prove that
the designation was incorrectly
established.
Phil Bloom, a spokesman for
the IDNR, said establishing a
floodplain is determined with
“standard and accepted” engineering practices based on hydraulic computer modeling.
That modeling takes into account the channel and floodplain geometry and elevations,
and the flow volume of peak
flood events.
Officials use that information
to calculate and map the base
flood elevation.
To get the designation removed, the city had to prove to
FEMA the modeling was incorrect.
In 2008, the city and county
paid for the installation of two
U.S. Geological Service gage
stations along the ditch to measure stream flow.
For five years, the city paid
more than $30,000 a year to
fund the stations and document the flow of the ditch with
the hope the data would prove
it didn’t flood.
In 2013, the city submitted
all the information it had collected to IDNR. Despite five
years’ worth of documentation,
officials said the data was inadequate to determine if the
floodplain should be removed.
The year before that, however, the city saw another small
victory. After the IDNR updated its digital rate insurance
flood maps, the floodway area
of the ditch that doesn’t allow
for any development shrunk
by around 30 percent. In some
stretches along the bank, it was
reduced by nearly 1,500 feet.
The floodway reduction
opened those areas for possible
development, but it didn’t solve
the bigger problem, Walker
said.
And after the city’s failed attempt to prove the designation
was inaccurate, it appeared the
problem would never be
solved.
That changed, though, when
U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski heard
about the city’s plight and decided to do something about it.
A FIX?
Walorski, a Republican who
represents Peru and most of
Miami County, said she first
learned about the floodplain
designation shortly after being
elected in 2012.
She said after talking to
Walker and other city officials,
she decided to look into the issue herself. That led to suspicions that the designation really
was inaccurate.
“ I ’m b e c o m i n g m o r e
convinced as we move along,”
she said. “As more experts look
at this, more people are scratching their heads about why this
is a floodplain.”
Walorski said if the area really doesn’t flood, then all the
homeowners paying for insurance are getting a raw deal.
That pushed her to request
federal money to fund a new
study from the U.S. Army Corp
of Engineers to take another
look at the floodplain area.
Earlier this year, Congress
approved the special funding,
and the $50,000 study is set to
begin in September.
Amy Babbet, chief of plan
formulation at the U.S. Army
Corp Louisville District, which
will conduct the study, said a
team of hydrologists will spend
a couple of weeks in the city
investigating the ditch’s drainage area, discharge rate and topography.
From that, engineers will
come up with hydrological information and create a profile
and map of Prairie Ditch to
show where water actually
goes in the floodplain.
Babbet said the U.S. Army
Corp will hand the study over
to the city, which can then submit it to IDNR for review.
Bloom said if IDNR officials
give their stamp of approval,
the study would go to FEMA,
which could decide to lift the
floodplain designation.
Walorksi said she hopes the
study will prove what Peru officials have known all along:
Prairie Ditch doesn’t flood.
“We’re common sense Hoosiers here, and we say, ‘Give me
a break, this hasn’t flooded in
80 years,’” she said. “It needs to
be corrected, and that needs to
be done by the Army Corp.”
The real aim, however, is to
help homeowners who have
been paying for flood insurance
for decades who should never
have had to buy it in the first
place, Walorski said.
“For a lot those homeowners
who are strapped, this flood insurance hurts,” she said. “I’m
trying to bring some relief to an
area that simply hasn’t flooded.”
One way or the other, the
study likely will be the final
chapter in the fight over the
Week of August 5, 2015
floodplain. If IDNR and FEMA
officials aren’t convinced by it,
there isn’t much more the city
can do to overturn the designation.
But Walker said he’s hopeful
the study will show Prairie
Ditch isn’t a threat to anyone in
Peru.
“We’re hoping that the outcome of this study is officials
saying, ‘You know what? You’re
right. This isn’t flooding,’” he
said. “But either way, we’re go-
7
ing to continue to fight the
good fight.”
And that fight is for the future growth of Peru, Walker
said.
“The most stressful thing
about this whole situation is we
have all this potential, and we
can’t do a thing with it,” he said.
“If we can make this (floodplain
designation) go away, development will occur, because there
won’t be all those extra costs
holding anyone up.”
8
Week of August 5, 2015
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Week of August 5, 2015
MC WEEKLY
sportsw
Fish prove no match
M
any people may not
know it, but there is a
unique engine made
right here in Kokomo.
It’s fueled on heartfelt
emotion. It’s product — 130
new young anglers.
As a matter of fact,
Kokomo is the only place you
can see it run. And, after 32
years, this motor has been
tweaked to operate at absolute perfection. The machine
I’m talking about is the cohesive group of volunteers and
contributors, literally hundreds of them, like teeth on a
gear, which make the Jim
“Moose” Carden Kids Fishing
Clinic possible.
To date it has produced
more than 3,600 pieces of
perfection and after the July
John Martino
OUTDOORS COLUMNIST
Witnessing this one-of-akind event is a perfect cureall for an all-too-often disgruntled world. Innocent
eyes, faces and smiles that
would melt mountains of
rock. It’s breath taking to
watch as more than 65 unselfish boat captains pull
away from the soft banks of
the Kokomo Reservoir with
their precious cargo in hopes
FUN TIMES: Brad Warnock, le
and Piper Brantley are all smil
their fish weighed.
weather even better. Whoops
weekly
for clinic’s graduates
32nd annual Jim ‘Moose’
Carden Kids Fishing Clinic
Graduation
Tournament
Boat
Captains
The kids of Kokomo say “Thanks”…
... to the hundreds of businesses, individuals and volunteers
who helped make the 32nd annual Jim “Moose” Carden Kids
Fishing Clinic a great success.
A special thanks go to the boat captains who unselfishly
donated their time, equipment and boats in making the graduation tournament one of the most recognized youth events in
the United States and it happens right here in Kokomo.
GRADUATION TOURNAMENT BOAT CAPTAINS
John Martino | MC Weekly
eft to right, Elora Warnock
les while waiting to have
participants’ catches, it was
Roger Massey
Gary West
Jason Malone
Jonathon Myers
John Adams
Michael Keck
Dan Miller
Jerry Rose
Travis Rose
Daren Hanshew
Bryar Schroeter
Jeff Vanover
Mike Lucke
Cory Beals
Gary Day
Walt Kosiak
Glenn Stephens
Jeremia Lucas
Ken Waisner
George Osha Jr
Don Hinkle
Greg Sullivan
Henry Cavazos
Jeff Fager
Benny Wisher
Brian Wisher
Justin Wheeler
Dan Pierce
Leonard and Julie Heise
John Crow
possible.
“I look forward to this all
year long,” boat captain Jerry
Rose said with excitement.
That’s not to mention men
like Jerry Gamblin who
drives more than 1,000 miles
each July from his home in
Welaka, Florida to serve as a
boat captain.
To mention all those who
play an integral part in making the Kids Clinic possible
would be futile as the list is
far too long. These types of
people and organizations do
not do this for praise, glory or
recognition. They do it because of what’s in their heart.
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
B.J. Butcher and Chad Babcock claimed first place at
12
Week of August 5, 2015
MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN
(LOGANSPORT INDIANA)
Now accepting resumes for
an immediate Part time
Maintenance Technician for
apartments.
The candidate must be a
take charge person with
good repair knowledge plus
the following skills:
1. Energetic, responsible
person to take pride and
ownership of their job.
2. Must have some basic
maintenance/
construction background
at various trades to
include plumbing,
electrical, painting,
carpentry and residential
rehab.
3. HVAC is a plus but not
mandatory.
4. Excellent customer
service & communication
skills.
5. A valid drivers license
and good references.
MC WEEKLY
LOOKING TO SHOWCASE
your business and reach
top area talent for your job
openings? Two sponsorship
options available.
Contact Charlene Woodruff
at 765-854-6729 to partner
with the Kokomo Tribune &
Pharos-Tribune at our
Monster Career Fair
on Sept. 22.
WANT TO CONNECT
with the top talent in the
area? Share your job
openings with a booth at the
Kokomo Tribune & PharosTribune Monster Career Fair
on Sept. 22. Call Charlene
Woodruff at 765-854-6729
to reserve your space today!
2 OLD STEEL FARM RIMS,
A WASHER & DRYER, Sentry Safe, Gas dryer, like
new, 3 piece patio set
w/cushions,
4'
wood
bench-makes into table,
refrigerator, electric & gas
ranges, 765-455-9794.
COKE MACHINE, $450.
Taylor accoustical guitar $1,595.
Epiphone jazz guitar, $575.
Epiphone solid body, $395.
Fender amp chorus DSP, $265.
Yamaha PRS 530, $315.
New Pro-model skateboards $40
each. Camaro RS, 2013, $21,900.
Call 574-699-6384.
SOLD!
CONSIDER
CONTRACT
WITH
DOWN PAYMENT
2 BR BRICK HOME
1 bath, 4 season room
with patio & basement,
attached 2 car garage.
1 acre with barn.
Maconaquah Schools
Southern Miami County
$64,900
765-438-2305,
765-457-6703 or
765-438-5612
Please note we are seeking
a Part Time Maintenance
Technician with commitment
and desire to excel.
Competitive wage for
experience.
WE BUY, SELL, TRADE IN
NEW AND USED MOBILE
HOMES! CALL 877-641-1011
Equal Opportunity Employer
Please email your resume to:
asoto@crestlinecommunities.com
EXCELLENT
SWEET CORN
FOR FREEZER.
MULTIPLE employment opportunities in:
Kokomo,
Wabash, Peru,
Logansport,
Rochester, and
Tipton.
Full and Part time
positions available.
Apply online at
jobs.ivytech.edu
CALL OUR CLASSIFIED
DEPARTMENT AT
1-888-663-1063 WITH YOUR AD
NOW! We want to help you sell
the item you no longer use.
THERE'S GOOD NEWS in
classifieds everyday!
1-888-663-1063
Bill Peters, Sharpsville
4126 N 700 W.,
2, 3 & 4 Bedroom Homes For
Sale On CONTRACT. Let me
help you find your dream
home. Down Payment required. Call Melissa 765-4346967.
Weichert
Realtors
Choice Associates.
PRICE
REDUCED
COMMERCIAL BUILDING
LOT: 0.30 ACRES: GREAT
FOR FAST FOOD. BETWEEN
31 BYPASS & VETERAN'S
GROUNDS ON SR 26.
$16,000 OR BEST OFFER.
CALL 765-628-2319
765-438-0808, 765-432-9788,
or 765-438-6101
CALL NOW
For your best price on your
walnut and oak standing timber.
Also buying, Ash and hard
Maple. We purchase timber in
WOODS ONLY
STEPHENS TIMBER
Kim 765-507-0067
629 W. Chestnut St,
Kokomo, IN
CLEVER SHOPPERS
USE classified as a directory of
the citys best buys. call classifieds
at 1-888-663-1063 to reach them
with your message.
CLEVER SHOPPERS
USE classified as a directory of
the city's best buys. Call
Classifieds at 1-888-663-1063 to
reach them with your message.
JUNK OR TREASURE
IT ALL SELLS!
CALL THE CLASSIFIED DEPT.
1-866-663-1063
Contract sale
possible.
765-860-5583
or
Craig 317-503-4292
Adorable 2BR, 1BA.
Great location near
Highland Park.
Completely renovated:
kitchen, bath, windows, roof,
furnace, A/C, landscaped.
$49,900
****WATCH****
OUR CLASSIFIED ADS
FOR GREAT BUYS!
CLASSIFIEDS
AT
1-888-663-1063
LOST A PET? 1-888-663-1063
3BR, 2 BATH,
all appliances,
2 car attached garage.
$850/mo + $850 dep.
Berkley Meadows.
765-434-3581.
GALVESTON. 3BR 1BA ATT LRG
GAR. Pet and smoke free
$750/MO 207 W Washington
765-419-7727
SELLING A VEHICLE?
1-888-663-1063
NICE 1 BEDROOM apartment,
southside Kokomo, new carpet
and paint, wheel chair ramp,
tenant pays electric, $485
monthly, $400 DD. Call 765480-9849.
NICE 1 BR UPSTAIRS
Stove, refrigerator & all utilities
EXCEPT electricity are furnished.
$425/mo + $100 damage deposit.
Call 765-453-0434
NICE 2 BEDROOM
Apartment, with garage.
$525/mo. + deposit.
Pet free. 765-469-9488
NEED TO SELL
BABY
FURNITURE?
Let us help
you create
an ad
that will
ATTRACT
a buyer.
CALL
CLASSIFIEDS
today!
1-888-663-1063
WOULD YOU LIKE to find out
what the classifieds are all about?
Call one of our classified representatives today and they will answer
all your
questions.
Classifieds
1-888-663-1063
$$ PAYING TOP $$
$150 & up. Buying Junk & Rebuildable Vehicles, Also Buying
Automotive Cores, Batteries,
Starters, Converters, Alum.
Wheels & Alum. Radiators.
Call 765-860-1048
MOPEDS & SCOOTERS 114 MPG
KOKOMO HONDA
We sell Honda & Chinese
fuel inj & water cooled engines.
Honda Motorcycles/ATVs/Scooters
Great prices on helmets, parts,
tires, batteries, clothing.
Old 31 & Hwy 26 Jct. 864-0500
Locally owned over 40 years.
MC WEEKLY
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