News Release

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WARSAW — More rain on Wednesday afternoon further saturated Kosciusko County, but conditions in parts of Fulton and Marshall counties appeared to worsen.

The National Weather Service received more reports of flooding in the northern parts of those two counties, and a flood warning was in effect until 8 a.m. Thursday, said Meteorologist Chris Roller.

[caption id="attachment_129845" align="alignright" width="375"] While a flood warning was set to expire in parts of Fulton and Marshall counties, small pockets (light green areas) across the region remained under a flood warning Thursday morning. Map provided by the National Weather Service.[/caption]

But that status could change again with more rain in the forecast.

Roller said some additional rain is likely on Thursday. While a short dry period is expected on Friday, more showers could arrive on Saturday

"I think having the dryer Friday is going to help, but the ground is soggy, and there's only so much runoff that can occur," Roller said.

Low-lying areas have seen flooding that began about ten days ago across parts of the county.

Water levels along part of Sunset Drive near Anchorage Road and west of Little Pike Lake in Warsaw remain high. 

“We're starting to see the impacts occur as a result,” Roller said.

He said rain totals in Warsaw from Wednesday to Saturday could total two inches.

Thursday's high is expected to reach 73, but a significant cooldown will arrive over the weekend.

The post More rain in the forecast on Thursday, Saturday across Kosciusko County appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Slate Auto, the Jeff Bezos-backed electric vehicle startup that plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Warsaw later this year, has announced it has raised $650 million to fuel its efforts.

Investment firm TWG Global led the round, and the cash infusion will be critical to developing the Slate truck and scaling up manufacturing to ensure production begins later this year. 

The startup was founded in 2022 and originally banked on the $7,500 federal EV tax credit to bring the electric truck's starting price under $20,000. With that credit now gone, the target price has crept up to around $25,000. 

The truck model is an innovative platform so customizable that it can transform from a two-seat pickup to a five-seat SUV.

Established in 2022, Slate was founded on a disruptive business model that simplifies the manufacturing process with the idea of building an affordable vehicle that owners can take pride in driving and customizing.

Slate will produce trucks at a reindustrialized the old R.R. Donnelley & Sons catalogue factory on the west side of Warsaw. 

Every Slate truck will be built in the same configuration, ready for accessorization after delivery.

The manufacturer’s retail price will be announced in June 2026.

Last year, Slate pledged to invest nearly $400 million in the factory, create over 2000 jobs in Kosciusko County, and contribute up to $39 billion to Indiana’s economy over 20 years.

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WARSAW — A candidate for Kosciusko County Council’s District 1 seat says he has sold his house in North Webster and is in the process of buying one south of Warsaw.

Thaddeus Du Bois admits that moving outside of the district he seeks to represent makes him ineligible to hold that seat, should he happen to win the May 5 primary.

Du Bois faces incumbent Republican Kimberly Cates for the seat in the primary.

In an interview with News Now Warsaw, Du Bois was asked if he plans to withdraw from the race and he laughed it off.

"Maybe some people don't think that's very funny, but no, I don't (plan to withdraw).

He said the sale of the future home won't happen until late May, but added that has not had time to research the issue.

His name will still be on the primary ballot.

Du Bois lives on the east side of Webster Lake, which is part of the Chapman-Tippecanoe Regional Sewer District.

His opposition to hooking up to the sewer district is the main reason he had been seeking the seat and is now the reason he’s moving.

"I feel that it's just so ethically and morally wrong that I'm not going to comply with it. I really, really don't agree with it," he said.

Du Bois said he has not fully researched his status as a candidate because he’s been busy. 

Kosciusko County Clerk Melissa Boggs, who oversees elections in the county, said nothing is required at this point if Du Bois loses in the  primary, but if he would win on May 5, and then move out of the district, he would need to sign withdrawal paperwork by July 15.

Du Bois also expressed concern with the lack of challengers in the primary. If he would win the primary and then withdraw, he said he hopes somebody else could still step in ahead of the general election and run.

Whether that is possible under Indiana election law was unclear.

"If I were to win, and I think everyone knows it's a longshot anyways, but jeez-o-pete, let's compete!" he said.

The post Despite plan to move out of the district, council candidate says he’s not withdrawing appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw

WARSAW — Kosciusko County's Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell announced some good news for veterans — as well as some advice.

McDowell recapped new legislation passed into law known as the Veteran Property Tax Reform, which will provide Indiana veterans with some relief on property taxes beginning in 2027.

The legislation restructures the property tax for veterans.

The changes rely on four categories, depending on one's level of disability and other factors

The biggest change involves those who are 100 percent disabled and their widows, who will be exempt from paying any property taxes on their home.

“They will benefit more than any of the other veteran disability tax cuts. This has never (happened) before in the state of Indiana,” McDowell said during a presentation to the county commissioners on Tuesday.

“It is 100 percent property tax-free,” he said.

It also eliminates the assessed value, which penalized a lot of veterans because there was a catch — If you owned a home more than $240,000, you were not able to take advantage of this, particularly our peace-time veterans, McDowell said.

Paperwork is not yet available, but veterans will likely be able to begin signing up after July 1 and must do so by Dec. 30 to qualify.

“Veterans must know, there is no grandfather clause, there is no rollover. If they don’t register for this, they are not gonna get any cut from the taxes,” McDowell warned.

He said he's working with the county auditor's office to help with paperwork and will announce more details when registration nears.

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WARSAW — Recent heavy rains, combined with a 100 percent chance of precipitation Saturday across northern Indiana, have led to a flood watch until 5 p.m. for Kosciusko County.

A flood warning is in effect northwest of Kosciusko County, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

The forecast for Warsaw predicts rainfall totals between a quarter inch and a half inch on Saturday.

Today's high is expected to be around 68.

Sunday will be mostly cloudy with a high of 47.

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WARSAW — Kosciusko County will soon seek bids for repairs on part of the Justice Building’s exterior that collapsed unexpectedly in August, as well as other areas that were found to have cracks.

County Commissioner Cary Groninger said this week that they expect drawings that will be part of the engineer's proposal to be ready in April and that they hope to receive bids on the work in the following weeks.

Several horizontal limestone slabs crashed down from above a secondary entrance to the Justice Building along Lake Street on Aug. 29, causing significant damage but no injuries.

Soon after, engineers began assessing the immediate damage and then expanded the scope of review to the entire building for other potential weak points.

Groninger said they identified about 35 cracks, all in the older northern part of the building, which was constructed in 1980.

Wooden structural supports are currently being used in eight areas along part of Lake Street and West Main Street.

Repair plans are now taking on a holistic approach, he said.

He said they also plan to replace some of the anchors that hold panels in place with a more modern version.

“We’re working through getting that accomplished as well as making sure the facade of the building doesn’t look like a checkerboard when we’re done, so we don’t have an old panel and a new panel, old panel, new panel,” Groninger said. “Maybe even replace more panels than what we need to make sure we have some consistency in what the facade of the building looks like,” Groniger said.

He said the commissioners could have an update as soon as their April 7 meeting.

A rough cost estimate will also become known soon, he said.

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WARSAW — Another round of extreme weather will pass through Northern Indiana today and Monday with temperatures ranging from 70 today in Warsaw to the upper teens by Monday night, the National Weather Service predicts.

Strong winds will return on Sunday with gusts approaching 50 mph.

That will be followed by a line of storms tonight that could bring additional damaging wind gusts. 

Lake effect snow will then ramp up on Monday morning with 1-2 two inches of snow expected in Warsaw, the weather service said.

Winds on Monday are expected to cause blowing and drifting with very low visibility.

Higher accumulations are predicted to be higher northwest of Kosciusko County.

Sunday’s high will be near 70 and the overnight low will fall to 27.

A wind advisory is in effect for Kosciusko County beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday, and a high wind warning is in effect for areas west of Kosciusko County.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for Monday morning for areas north of Kosciusko County.

Monday’s high will be 32 and the low will be 17

The post Gusty winds today and storms possible tonight before snow arrives Monday morning appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — High winds knocked over a truck on SR 15 South and severely damaged a mobile home after a tree fell on it during Friday’s windstorm.

The Times-Union reported a southbound semi tractor-trailer across Ind. 15, south of Silver Lake, and into a ditch on the northbound side of the road Friday morning, according to information from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office.

The driver was taken to Parkview Wabash for cuts and a possible fractured arm. 

Meanwhile, a woman had to be rescued from a house Friday morning after a tree fell on it during reported high winds.A spokesperson for the Pierceton Fire Department said they were paged out at 11:05 a.m. Friday to 5784 S. Maple Grove Lane, Warsaw. 

Below are links to both stories by Times-Union Managing Editor David Slone.

https://timesuniononline.com/stories/pierceton-fd-rescues-woman-after-tree-falls-on-house,276282?

https://timesuniononline.com/stories/high-winds-cause-semi-rollover,276286?

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SYRACUSE — Public Vet, a non-profit group, is returning to Kosciusko County to fix cats and kittens (6 weeks and older) on April 2.

Thanks to Pet Friendly Services, Public Vet has limited financial assistance available.

Reservations with Public Vet are being taken, and as many as 21 slots remain available.

Sign up now at www.pub.vet. 

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