Circle Federal Credit Union debuts New Buffalo location

New Buffalo Times

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Circle Federal Credit Union debuts New Buffalo location

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA

The presence of Circle Federal Credit Union at the southern end of Berrien County was celebrated during a ribbon-cutting and open house Friday, July 23. Greater Niles Community Federal Credit Union and at this time the charter was expanded to a community charter. In 2019, the name was changed to Circle Federal Credit Union.

The ribbon-cutting was held at the credit union’s newest location in New Buffalo, which is located at 6 W. Buffalo Street (right by the main light in downtown New Buffalo).

“We are so glad to see another financial option here in Harbor Country…Always, when you have a space like this that has a storefront, you have a business that has moved in and occupies it and is one that provides great services to the community, so we’re really happy that you’re here,” Kimberlee Wendt, executive director of the Harbor Country Chamber of Commerce, said.

Susan Larson, chief operating officer for Circle Federal Credit Union, said that they have three other locations: Niles, Edwardsburg, and Cassopolis.

According to its website, Circle Federal Credit Union was started in the early 1940s as Kawneer Credit Union. Original membership was for employees of Kawneer in Niles. In 1984, it became Larson said that the New Buffalo location is going to be a lending office, where services that will be offered will be consumer branding and residential mortgages. She said she was pleased to now have a second location in the county. “I think we can offer a lot for the people in this area,” she said. The new office will have two fulltime employees: Tammy Koziel and Nikki Welsch, who will be doing the mortgages out of there.

Overall, Larson said that Circle Federal Credit Union has close to 50 people who work in all the offices.

Hours of operation for the New Buffalo location are Monday and Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday from 10 to 5 p.m. (or by appointment). They can be reached at 269-231-5920. More information can be found at www..circlefcu.org.

Arts Commission invests in Friendship Botanic Gardens to strengthen La Porte County through arts and creativity

The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) announced it has awarded $3,900 to Friendship Botanic Gardens through the Arts Project Support grant program.

During its June 25, Quarterly Business Meeting, the Commission approved funding recommendations for the Arts Project Support and Arts Organization Support grant programs. Over 590 applications were reviewed by 167 Hoosiers from around the state specializing in arts, community development, and finance.

“The projects and organizations that are receiving funding have major positive impacts on the cultural, economic, and educational climate of Indiana,” said Alberta Barker, chair of the Indiana Arts Commission. “The Commission is impressed at the work being done around the state and is excited to support investment in Hoosier communities.”

“From the smallest rural communities to the largest cities, we see arts and creativity improving quality of life and driving economic development, and this funding will support the projects and organizations around the state at the heart of this progress,” said Lewis Ricci, IAC executive director. “It is an honor to support work that is strengthening the fabric of Indiana communities.”

Funding for the Indiana Arts Commission and its programs is provided by the Indiana General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. — STAFF

Local Government Meetings

New Buffalo Times

Democracy Requires Transparency

CITY OF NEW BUFFALO JOHN HUMPHREY, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL LOU O’DONNELL, IV. MARK ROBERTSON, JOHN HUMPHREY, ROGER LIJESKI, BRIAN FLANIGAN City Council meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30PM CITY OF NEW BUFFALO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETINGS to be determined NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP BOARD PETE RAHM, MICHELLE HEIT, JUDY H. ZABICKI, PATTY IAZZETTO, JACK ROGERS Board meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 7PM NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION Meets on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 6:30PM

NEW BUFFALO AREA SCHOOLS BOARD CHUCK HEIT, PRESIDENT HEATHER BLACK, VICE PRESIDENT JOHN HASKINS, TREASURER LISA WERNER, SECRETARY JOYCE LANTZ, TRUSTEE FRANK MARGRO, TRUSTEE PATRICIA NEWSTON, TRUSTEE CHIKAMING TOWNSHIP CHIKAMING TOWNSHIP BOARD DAVID BUNTE, PAULA DUDIAK, LIZ RETTIG, RICHARD SULLIVAN, BILL MARSKE Chikaming Board meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6:30PM CHIKAMING TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION Meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 6:30PM THREE OAKS THREE OAKS TOWNSHIP BOARD Meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7PM VILLAGE OF THREE OAKS BOARD Meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7PM GRAND BEACH VILLAGE OF GRAND BEACH COUNCIL Meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7PM MICHIANA VILLAGE OF MICHIANA COUNCIL Meets on the 2nd Friday of each month at 1PM

BY STAN MADDUX

Adedication was held Thursday, July 22, for part of the old Franciscan Health hospital in Michigan City that will be put back to medical use.

About two-thirds of the former hospital at 301 W. Homer Street is currently being demolished.

The over 100,000 square feet of remaining space will be used by Franciscan Health for prenatal care, inpatient behavioral health and adult medical day care.

According to hospital officials, the cost of demolition scheduled to be completed in December and repurposing what’s left of the facility is $20 million,

“This is going to be a nice, vibrant, beautiful hospital. Smaller but beautiful and doing a great job,” said Sister Jane Marie Klein, chairman of the Board of Franciscan Alliance.

Dean Mazzoni, president of Franciscan Health in Michigan City, said the 14-bed inpatient Behavioral Medicine Unit will be open later this summer.

PACE or Program for the AllInclusive Care for the Elderly will open in the fall then soon after that the Prenatal Care Unit will begin operating, he said.

Mazzoni said need for those services was the determining factor in deciding to make use of the old hospital abandoned in January 2019 when Franciscan Health opened a new hospital outside Michigan City along Interstate 94.

He said the Behavioral Health Unit will be for individuals who need a higher level of psychological care in

areas like depression than what can be provided as an outpatient.

The BHU used to be at the former hospital then moved to the new facility.

Mazzoni said the mental health facility is moving back to create room at the new hospital for adding a medical surgical unit.

PACE will be for people 55 and over who need care during the day while a loved one taking care of them at home is typically at work.

He said those patients will be given the care and medicine they need by trained professionals while being in a social setting before returning home in the evening.

Mazzoni said Franciscan Health has two other PACE facilities in Indianapolis and Lafayette but had none in this area.

“It’s a higher level of care but it still keeps people at home in their communities and able to stay out of a nursing home a little longer,” he said.

Dr. Vidya Kora, a member of the Northern Indiana Regional Board for Franciscan Health, said the prenatal care unit will offer expanded services than what’s currently provided. He said expectant mothers at high risk of a “bad outcome” will be targeted and given the care needed to elevate their chances of giving birth to a healthy baby.

Pregnant women qualifying financially will also be enrolled in Medicaid, he said.

Kora said the program is especially needed in LaPorte County, which ranks near the bottom in the state for infant mortality and low birth weight babies.

“I think it’ll be good for our community,” he said.

Forty to 60 new jobs are expected to be created from putting a portion of the facility back to use, officials said.

The site was a provider of medical care since 1904.

The senses being the senses, mixed with reasoning and interests, even the wise error. — Dino

SUSPECTED KILLER WANTED TO KILL MORE

Aman who allegedly shot two people within minutes of each other in Michigan City was out to kill again that same night.

Those are among the allegations revealed in the case against Joshua Cornelison, 40, of Michigan City.

Cornelison is charged with murder and attempted murder in La Porte Superior Court 1 for the July 13 shootings.

Aaron Luncsford, 39, died from a gunshot wound to the head suffered inside a residence at 1116 Buffalo Street, according to court documents.

According to court documents, Cornelison rang the doorbell and Luncsford—after coming to the door—was shot.

Paul Jones was inside a parked car when shot in the neck outside his home at 116 W. Homer Street.

About one hour later, police said officers were called to The River of Life Church at 516 Decatur Street.

A basement door was kicked in and Cornelison found inside was taken into custody at gunpoint.

Police said Cornelison bore a strong resemblance to the tattooed and scruffy looking man described as the suspect in both shootings.

He was also riding a red Harley Davidson motorcycle described as the vehicle spotted where both of the shootings occurred.

According to court documents, Cornelison told investigators he went to the church to shoot the pastor he remembered as a child.

The pastor, though, was no longer alive.

Cornelison also revealed he was going to kill another man next but police showed up before he left the church, according to court documents.

Police said a motive was not clear.

Cornelison, though, cried while stating “these people probably did nothing wrong,” according to court documents.

He is also charged with burglary, theft and criminal mischief.

Cornelison was appointed a public defender and ordered to remain held without bond during his initial court hearing July 20.

He was also given a Dec. 20 trial date. — STAN

Trail extension to further enhance Clear Lake

Clear Lake is becoming more of a centerpiece in LaPorte from an upcoming trail extension and other improvements to the shoreline.

The work scheduled to begin in October is the latest in a series of projects turning the lakes in the city into more of an economic driver.

A trail on Lakeshore Drive beside Stone Lake and nearby kayak launch along with a boardwalk on the southern edge of Clear Lake are among the recent water related enhancements.

Others include the Chessie Trail that begins at Pine Lake, which has long been a major attraction for recreational boating and fishing.

“We want to be the capital of quality of life in Indiana,” said Mayor Tom Dermody.

Dermody said Clear Lake will play a significant role in the ongoing transformation of the city built on manufacturing because of its close proximity to the downtown.

Two hundred resort type apartments beside Clear Lake are presently going up.

Future plans include a pedestrian

BY STAN MADDUX bridge over the Norfolk and Southern Railroad tracks from Clear Lake to the downtown.

“Between our natural resources, our parks, our trails, we will be the destination for anyone looking to enjoy the great outdoors and live a healthy life,” Dermody said.

City engineer Nick Minich said the current trail going about one-third of the way around Clear Lake will be extended to form a loop around the body of water.

The trail extension will have a mostly asphalt surface with signs containing information about the history of Clear Lake and the surrounding area once dominated by heavy industry.

He said the loop trail will also be connected to the Chessie Trail, which now ends at nearby NewPorte Landing.

Eventually, the Chessie Trail will be extended to the downtown and double back toward Soldiers Memorial Park.

Minich said fishing piers in different spots around Clear Lake and native species planted along the shoreline are included in the project.

Park Department Superintendent Mark Schreiber said Clear Lake has never been as highly regarded as Pine and Stone lakes but that is changing.

The lake was once a source of discharges from Allis Chalmers, which closed in the 1980s, and is too shallow for motor boats.

“It’s just very gratifying to finally see us loving Clear Lake just as much,” he said.

The enhancements would not be possible without a $2.2 million grant from the Healthcare Foundation of LaPorte paying the entire cost.

Maria Fruth, president and CEO of the foundation, said the project reflects the group’s mission of LaPorte County being among the 10 healthiest counties in the state by 2030 from encouraging people to get outside and engage in physical activity.

She said nearly $6.5 million has been awarded by the foundation for similar projects in the city since 2017.

“These investments keep bringing us closer to the goal,” Fruth said.

Pigs doing tricks judging by laughter from the crowd had fair goers in the area living high on the hog.

The shows are put on by a man who recently made it to the quarter finals last year on the popular television show, “America’s Got Talent.”

The ringmaster is Les Kimes, who took over for his father, Boyd, who started the traveling show in 1956.

His father made such a name for himself with his delightful act sprinkled with comedy that he occasionally appeared with his trained animals on late night television shows like “The Tonight Show” and the “Ed Sullivan Show.”

Les became part of the show when he was 2 then at 14 took over when his

Stunt pigs popular with fairgoers

BY STAN MADDUX

father passed away.

Kimes, 56, also found fame with performances on television shows like “Animal Planet” and “America’s Got Talent.”

He mostly travels to fairs and festivals but sometimes works theme parks, circuses, boat, recreational vehicle and pet shows.

He’s been to every state except for Alaska.

“Our motto has always been no matter what the gig, think pig,” Kimes said.

He and the pigs in “Cousin Grumpy’s Pork Chop Revue” perform several shows daily at the Porter County Fair, which runs through Saturday in Valparaiso.

Xavier Emmons, 7, of Cedar Lake was allowed into the show arena to help sing the popular nursery rhyme, “Old McDonald Had a Farm.”

A pig loudly grunted when it was time for the porker to sing the “oink, oink” portion of the song.

“I liked it,” Emmons said.

“He loves pigs. That’s why he wanted to come out,” said his father, Josh Emmons.

The show features tricks ranging from pigs pushing a baby stroller on two legs and pigs walking through a tunnel.

There are also goats walking a narrow platform five feet above the ground.

Beverly McCann of Chesterton said a llama jumping high through a hoop is what she liked best.

She was there with her husband, Eric, and their children, Amelia and Emma, ages 5 and 1.

They had their pictures taken with the animals following the 1:30 p.m. show.

“We thought it was great. The kids loved it. It was cute,” McCann said.

During his spare time, he and his wife, Nina, live near Tampa, Florida, where they have a hobby farm for their dozen or so animals.

Kimes said the animals are kept in a climate controlled environment when they all hit the road together.

“These guys are our family. We adopt them. They stay with us their entire lives,” he said.

Trust It To Be Wonderful

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