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WARSAW — Members of the Northern Indiana chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America hosted its first-ever rally in Warsaw Sunday, joining a chorus of those upset with how the Trump administration is conducting immigration raids.

About four dozen people gathered with temperatures in the 20s along North Detroit Street near Center Street, where local Democrats have organized numerous protests over the past year aimed at President Trump.

Leaders began the rally with a few short speeches and a candlelight vigil remembering nine people they contend have died as a result of immigration crackdowns across the country, including Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot to death by federal agents in recent weeks in Minnesota.

[caption id="attachment_126249" align="alignright" width="330"] Motorists offered honks and gestures of support as they drove by the protesters on Sunday in Warsaw. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

The Warsaw rally coincided with a similar one in South Bend.

The Warsaw rally comes after organizers said they saw a spike in interest in the group after the mayoral victory of Zohran Mamdani in New York City last year.

The Northern Indiana DSA has been active for several years, but we’re just now growing in Kocisucko County,” said a person who went by the name Poe and was dressed in all black and wearing a face mask.

“There was definitely an influx of membership to the DSA after that happened," Poe said.  "But I think the main motivator locally is all the things that are going on in our community that are causing a threat to our community, such as the ICE murders and things like that,” Poe said.

“We feel it's now time, more than ever, to organize our community against the things that are happening," Poe said.

Another man spoke out about how Trump is using the military for domestic purposes.

“He thinks he can treat us like his own personal army. He’s seeing if we will (allow) that. We are here to show him that he can’t,” he said.

Another offered his perspective: “With ICE abuses, and the constant assault on our constitutional and moral rights, we must keep in mind that freedom is merely a privilege extended unless it’s enjoyed by one and all.”

The protest drew a cross-section of people — young and older — almost entirely focused on ICE tactics, based on a review of signs.

Melinda Sharp was there with her husband, Dan. Her sign read, Love One Another," and his read, "End the Ice Age."

They live in New Paris and have attended five rallies in recent months.

She said she’s not a Democratic Socialist but rather is upset with Trump's behavior on a range of issues.

“I was a registered Republican all my life until Mr. Trump showed up," she said. "He’s done nothing to earn my trust and support.”

Among those attending was Brian Smith, chairman of the Democratic Party's 2nd Congressional District in Indiana. He said he was there to honor the lives of Good and Pretti.

Northern Indiana DSA is demanding:

• No compliance from local government, local law enforcement, schools, churches or businesses in assisting ICE or DHS in their “mass deportation terror campaign.”
• The end of the use of flock cameras on local streets to surveil motorists.
• The end of support for candidates in the upcoming midterms unless they publicly commit to defunding, abolishing ICE, and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Below are News Now Warsaw photos by Dan Spalding.

[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="126248,126246"]

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WARSAW — News Now Warsaw Sports Director Roger Grossman is being inducted into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame.

The post News Now Warsaw Sports Director Roger Grossman being inducted into Indiana Sportscasters Hall of Fame appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

The following story does not reflect that development.

By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw

WARSAW — The following is a recap of the top stories from 2025 in Kosciusko County.

Slate Auto

The announcement of plans for an electric pickup truck maker to establish its manufacturing operations in Warsaw is probably the biggest modern economic development news in the county’s history, assuming the company can solidify itself in the evolving EV market.

The new electric vehicle company seeks to shake up the industry by selling stripped-down models that a highly customizable at a price level not seen previously in the industry

The announcement is a major reversal of fortunes for the old massive R.R. Donnelly and Sons property that sat empty for just two years after LSC Communications announced its closing.

The massive property is currently being revamped, and the company plans to hire 1,900 workers.

Autocam Medical

The company, which has its headquarters outside of Grand Rapids, got its start in the automotive industry but has branched out into orthopedics.

The company had planned to take over the Medtronic property along US 30, but that changed after Medtronic reversed course and decided to keep a presence in Warsaw.

Autocam recently broke ground for a facility in Warsaw’s technology park this fall and plans to employ 300 people.

Winona Lake audit

The audit by the state board of accounts encompassed four years of town finances, raising eyebrows and questions.

The report detailed sloppy bookkeeping, failure to follow standard policies, and led to the discovery of a very loose policy related to the use of town credit cards.

The audit also exposed an undisclosed decision by the town to construct 11 wells for private residents.

The audit did lead to changes in policies by the town council and pledges to do better in the future

A former and current employee were asked to repay the town for improper credit card use.

Data center defeat

Kosciusko County was also on the cusp of a major national trend this year in the sudden growth of data center proposals deemed necessary to support the fast-growing AI industry.

Opposition to the data center proposed near Leesburg led to an outpouring of opposition from area residents, and the county plan commission, after hearing several hours of testimony, unanimously turned down the zoning request that would have opened the door to construction.

Political protests 

It began shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office in January as opposition to new policies and approaches began to bother many area residents.

Within a few months, protests began to grow and shifted from the courthouse square to the corner of Detroit and Center streets, and grew as Trump’s authoritarian approach became more apparent.

One protest late this summer attracted about 300 people, was likely the biggest such political rally the county has ever seen.

Small town projects

This is a story that has gained momentum in recent years and is led by Amy Roe, the county’s community coordinator, who was hired several years ago in part to coordinate development of projects in smaller communities, an idea led by county commissioner Cary Groninger.

After laying the groundwork on several projects, the county celebrated the completion of several, including:

• Chinworth Bridge Trail extension west of Warsaw
• A new mural in Etna Green
• New electric meters in Milford
• A sidewalk project in Pierceton

Roe’s role has now transitioned and is now focusing on using money from the Community Amenties Program, which is an offshoot of the Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative, and is tapping into some of the $30 million made available to OrthoWorx from the state legislature.

Downtown businesses, ups and downs

Downtown Warsaw continues to grow in different ways, but one highlight involved The River Coffee House, owned and operated by Amanda Meerzo and her husband, Jamel, who started with a coffee shop in North Webster.

Last year, they opened a coffee shop on Center Street in Warsaw and then moved it to a bigger storefront across the street. That was followed this year by the opening of a new coffee shop in the Village at Winona, as well as a new shop that’s part of an innovative child care facility at the YMCA along US 30.

At the same time, several stores in Downtown Warsaw also closed. 

One Ten Craft Meatery, an upscale restaurant, began to struggle and eventually closed, but is being replaced by a new restaurant, Hoosier Proper.

The downtown also lost the short-lived B+B Courthouse Market, which closed within a matter of months

Major projects

Some major projects that started in 2025 will continue in 2026. Those include:

• The Millworks apartment project finally got underway at the site of the old Owen's grocery store west of the downtown business district. It’s taken longer than expected and promises to be the biggest development in downtown Warsaw in a long time, creating 86 new apartments 
• Construction of another apartment complex of similar size, Union Station Lofts, is progressing quickly on McKinley Street and will add another 80 or so units.
• A redevelopment project at the old Marsh grocery property on South Buffalo is underway. The property sat empty for several years before the city bought the land for $1.25 million in hopes of reversing the property’s decline. Earlier this year, the city found a company that wants to revitalize the main building as a large antique mall that is expected to reopen next year after major renovations.
• Lake City Bank is renovating the office building west of its headquarters for an Innovation and Technology Center, which will lead to more jobs.

State redistricting efforts fail

This was a statewide issue that would have significantly changed the second and third congressional districts — all in an effort to give Republicans control of all nine districts in the state at the request of President Trump.

Lobbying by President Trump put enormous pressure on state lawmakers, but public opinion led to the defeat. Two state senators, Ryan Mishler and Blake Doriot, opposed the plan.

Notable deaths 

The year will also be remembered for past figures who passed away.

Those included Kosciusko County Councilman Mike Long, who died on his property in an ATV accident; Longtime political leader Jean Northenor who was a key Republican figure for decades; Dr. Ron Manahan, former president of Grace College; Philanthropist Mary Louise Miller; attorney and former prosecutor David Kolbe and former Kosciusko County Sheriff Ron Robinson, who went on to become the county’s first county administrator.

The post What were the top news stories in Kosciusko County in 2025? appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

The famous military leader George Patton once said, “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men live.”

I think a lot of Cubs fans have been struggling with that sentiment over the last two weeks after Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg passed away on July 28 at the age of 65.

Sandberg had announced in January of 2024 that he had prostate cancer and then alerted us that fall that he’d been given the “all clear” by his cancer doctors.

But this past winter, it was back, and it had spread.

Sandberg had joined the Cubs in spring training, and during that time many of his old teammates came to Arizona to see him and spend time with him.

As the Cubs season moved into July, more and more of the 1980s and 1990s Cubs players found their way back to Chicago. They came to the ballpark, almost to a man, wearing some version of Sandberg’s No. 23 jersey.

They were telling us that something was up, and they knew it.

They had come to say their “goodbyes” to their friend and teammate.

And on that warm July day, Ryne Sandberg slid into eternity’s home plate.

The lazy thing to do here in my space today would be to rifle off his career accomplishments and his stats; his Gold Gloves and All-Star Selections, his career batting average and everything else.

Numbers can be very cold and hard, and they rarely give you the full picture of what a player did or who they were.

For Sandberg, the old line “you had to be there to understand” totally fits.

Sandberg came to the Cubs from Philadelphia in 1982. He was the kid who was thrown into a deal that involved the Phillies getting younger at shortstop by sending veteran Larry Bowa to Chicago for Ivan DeJesus.

Sandberg was sent along with Bowa because the Phillies just weren’t sure where they would put him. Sandberg was a natural second baseman, but the Phillies had messed around with him at third base.

Either way, Philadelphia had Manny Trillo (who also played for the Cubs) at second and future Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt at third.

He was going to rot at Triple-A.

And so, he became the pot sweetener in the “Larry Bowa” trade with the Cubs.

What he brought with him to the North Side of town was an old-fashioned work ethic that not only made him better, but it made everyone around him work harder to get better too.

His grasp of the fundamentals of every aspect of baseball almost made him seem robotic. He was as dependable a baseball player as I have ever seen and as the game has ever known.

He would go months without making an error. He was so good with the glove that a ground ball hit to the right side of the pitcher’s mound and more than 30 feet off the first base bag was guaranteed to be an out. You didn’t know what it would look like when he did it, but you took for granted that he was going to get to it, catch it, and hit the first baseman in the heart with the throw.

He was also very smooth at making the pivot for double plays. At a time when taking out the second baseman was the primary objective, he would step through the base path or lift a leg at just the right time to avoid contact. And if none of those were going to work, he had this little hop that he would do to avoid the runner barreling in on him.

He was a second baseman who hit for power and hit for a high average at a time where that position on the field was primarily a defensive position manned by a 5’8” tall guy with two-steps-in-front of the warning track power.

He was not the fastest runner, but his read on a batted ball was as good as there was. He was an excellent base stealer because he knew when to go.

He never got doubled off, and he never got picked off.

He never complained about anything. You never heard him talk about contracts or money. He never doubled into the ivy and then beat his chest or pulled up his shirt.

He just played. He played and gave us everything he had. And it was plenty good enough.
As a Cubs fan, he was our guy. He was someone that everyone in the league respected and admired, and we were proud of him.

When the old guard started coming around this summer, wearing their Sandberg gear, it was our warning that it wouldn’t be much longer. And it wasn’t.

And now he’s gone, and with him went the beautiful way he went about his business.
As the tears roll down my cheeks, let us take General Patton’s advice and not mourn the loss of the dear man forever known as “Ryno”.

Instead, let us be grateful that we saw him play, and that he wore our colors.

The post Ryne Sandberg was a pro’s pro appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

I was watching the Cubs hold off the White Sox on Sunday to win another series and, at that point, to stay even with the Brewers in the National League Central.

At the same time, I was on the social media account formerly known as Twitter, checking my sources to see if any trades involving the Cubs were making news.

Trades were happening, but not with the Cubs — at least not at that point.\

The MLB trade deadline is Thursday.

In the middle of the Cubs TV broadcast on Marquee Sports Network, former Cub Mike Tauchman came up to bat.

It was asked if Tauchman might want to go to a team in contention for the remainder of the season, or if he’d prefer to stay in Chicago. Tauchman grew up in the suburbs, so it’s an interesting subject to consider.

It reminded me that this time of year is a very difficult time of year for athletes.

For baseball players, dozens of them are finding out that their future lies in a different place than the one they live in currently.

For good players on teams that clearly aren’t going to make the playoffs, their outlook on their season has taken a turn for the better. They are being traded to a team that is optimistic about its chances of making the playoffs, improving their playoff position or making a long run in the playoffs by adding him and maybe others.

Those players are packing up what they immediately need and traveling to where their new team will be so they can start helping their new team as soon as possible.

The new team has people who will help the players find temporary living quarters.
Of course, the player in question might be married and might also have children. The player and his family have to consider whether everyone is going to the new city or just the player.

We also have to consider that most of the players traded at the baseball deadline are made available because their contract will expire at the end of the season, and their old teams are trading them to get younger players in return for someone they won’t be negotiating a new contract with.

They probably aren’t going to buy a house or make too many permanent moves, knowing that they might be moving to yet another town during the winter.

Then we have to think about the younger players going back the other way in these trades.
They are a step away from becoming a major league player on a team in the hunt for a championship. They might even have played for a short time for the big club, replacing an injured player and experiencing the thrill of playing on a good team that’s in contention.

Now they are headed to a team that’s not as good, and there is no guarantee that they will be with the big club at any point that season or in the future.

And their families, who are already struggling under the weight of living on a minor league baseball salary, have to contemplate their next steps.

Football players are also living in limbo in the late summer months.

Professional football players are currently in the first full week of pre-season training camp. Pick your favorite football team, and that team currently has 90 players available to them.

Over the next month, that number will be trimmed to 53.

37 players on each team will be cut — that’s 1,184 players who will not be on an opening week roster and will not be attached to any team.

There is no guarantee they will ever make one.

Sure, maybe they will make the practice squad, which is better than nothing. But it’s not a very stable way of living.

Younger NBA players just spent the better part of a month trying to impress GMs and their scouting staffs at the summer league in Las Vegas.

Some of those players are guaranteed spots on league rosters, while others are desperate for a chance to get into a summer game and do something that will catch the eye of the franchise they are there with or someone else who has a need for what they can offer on the court.

For some people in all these sports, this will be their last chance at living their dream out.

The realities of families that need to be provided for, bills that need to be paid, and lives that need living will be knocking on their door, and they will have to answer, and leave their dreams behind.

It’s the very non-glamourous underbelly of professional sports.

It would be wise for us who are not connected to one of these athletes to remember that as the next month unfolds.

Yes, they are athletes, but they are people too.

The post What we must remember about players this time of year appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

I was raised very humbly, so “I told you so” is not something you hear or read from me very often.

But what’s happening right now in college sports feels like it’s working its way toward a scenario I laid out as what college sports should look like in the future.

You might remember that, in one of my “If I were king of sports” articles, I suggested that college sports should abandon the model of “student-athlete” for men’s and women’s basketball and football and just make those athletes employees of the university.

Under my plan, I would no longer make athletes in those sports attend classes (or pretend to attend classes).

They would be able to take classes if they choose, but wouldn’t have to.

Then they would have to sign a minimum two-year contract for that school, and they would be required to fulfill the terms of that arrangement. They would not be allowed to demand a new contract while that deal is in place, and the school would not be allowed to pay any buyouts. No early transfers. They signed an adult deal for adult money, and they should get treated like adults would.

Each level of each sport would have its own hard salary cap, and schools who went so much as a dollar over that would be penalized with a fine for that season and a 5-percent salary cap reduction for the next school year.

The players would get paid. The portal would be used by fewer players. Fans would have a better idea of who will be on their team next season.

The truth (part #1) is, we are closer to that sort of system than ever before.
We can’t keep going like we are now.

The (truth part #2) is, no one was ready for what we are experiencing now.

Not the NCAA. Not the colleges. Not the athletes.

No one.

And, as predicted, it feels like the Wild, Wild West.

Look, this has gotten so stupid that the transfer portal for men’s and women’s college basketball opened while their tournaments were still going on! Teams were losing in March Madness, and it felt like players were posting on social media that they were entering the transfer portal while they were still on the team plane back
to campus.

Ridiculous!

The truth (part #3) is, someone must be the adult here and get control of what’s going on.
And we have seen the dark side of what is happening already.

You could not watch a game in either the men’s or women’s March Madness without seeing an ad telling fans to be more considerate and careful of what they post on social media about athletes and what their feelings about them are.

The premise of the ad is that people who bet on sports are publicly criticizing college athletes for their failure to perform, which costs the betting party money. Betters are lashing out against athletes for them not winning their bet.

Our little darlings are apparently worthy of getting paid to play their sport but are way too sensitive to handle being publicly held to the fire of the reality that comes with that paycheck.

I have ZERO tolerance for people who want something for nothing, and that is exactly what these college athletes are expecting from the brave, new college sports world we’re living in.

College athletes were not, and are not, emotionally ready to be professional athletes. The system was not intended for them to have to worry about that at this point in their lives. They are supposed to be learning about what they will do when their time as an athlete is over. They are supposed to be building and investing in their futures, not holding out for more NIL money.

Of course, the ironic part of the whole “take it easy on these kids” ad campaign is that the ads directly speak to the gambling angle of college sports.Did no one consider the possibility that college sports embracing betting would have negative effects on athletes?

Nope. No one did. They all just went racing in for cash and to see how high they could stack it.

And the lawyers and agents lined up with rakes and big buckets to get their fill, and no one cared where it might be heading.

So, if these people — any of them — are standing around waiting for people like me to feel sorry for them, they can go pound sand. This is what they all wanted, and this is exactly what they signed up for.

They were right … they screamed “we deserve this”, and they do. Congratulations.

But there is a bill to pay at all of this, and no one wants to pick up the check.

They should have thought about that before they ordered the most expensive item on the menu, then bit off more than they could chew … because now they are choking on it.

The post Nobody was ready for this from college sports appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — As President Donald Trump moves forward with the dismantling of the US Department of Education, educators are watching closely to determine exactly what that will mean.

Billions of dollars are at stake for states across the country but there are some signs that money will remain intact as oversight could apparently be shifted to another yet-to-be-determined other area of the federal government.

Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert sees it developing in one of two directions.

In one scenario, Hoffert speculates, the elimination of the department could essentially mean elimination of the so-called middle man in terms of how money is channeled to local schools.

On the other hand, it could lead to reductions in funding as the Trump Administration, with the Department of Government Efficiency, continues to slash federally funded programs and services.

"I'm really hoping that it's the first one and that you know what 'we're just looking at shifting some of these things and 'we believe in the state control of this,' " Hoffert said.

"And that could be a really good thing for students," he said. 

He also acknowledged that funding cuts are still possible but that maybe it would happen over a series of years

Hoffert made the comments during a taping of In The Know, the public affairs show that can be heard this weekend on Kensington Digital Media radio stations.

Other points of discussion included the expansion of the dual language immersion program into the high school next year and the new transfer rule involving high school athletes.

*  *  * 

In The Know can be heard at the following times:

News Now Warsaw (99.7 FM and 1480 AM):

Fridays at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Saturdays at 7 a.m. 

Sundays at 7 a.m. & 2 p.m.

WRSW (107.3):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

Willie (103.5 FM):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

The post As education department disappears, Hoffert hopes money is streamlined appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — The city of Warsaw has somebody looking at the old Marsh property on South Buffalo Street.

But details are lacking for now.

The city is working with a potential buyer who is interested in what was described as a "potential outlot," according to Jeremy Skinner, director of community & economic development for the city.

Details about the the name of the potential buyer, the type of business it would entail and which part of the property it involves were not revealed Monday.

The city redevelopment commission approved plans for the city to engage in an agreement that will allow the entity to look deeper into the property and do its due diligence before making a final decision.

The city purchased the former Marsh property in 2023 for $1.25 million from Cardinal Services and has been seeking a developer since then.

The post City of Warsaw has somebody looking at Marsh property appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Semi-state basketball action revs up Saturday for two local teams.

Warsaw and Whitko girls basketball teams will be in action this Saturday, battling for a spot in the Indiana Girls Basketball State Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday, March 1.

The Warsaw Lady Tigers (24-1)  will take on McCutcheon (24-3) at noon from Frankfort High School. The winner will play for a semi-state championship against either Hamilton Southeastern (26-0) or Valparaiso (19-7) at 7:30 pm.

Roger Grossman will be on the radio call of the semi-final matchup and championship round should the Tigers advance. You can hear the games on 1480AM and 99.7FM NewsNow Warsaw.

Fans can also catch the game online or through the News Now Warsaw app.

Pregame coverage will start 30 minutes before each game. The Tigers are trying to chase down their first semi-state championship since 2004 and its fifth in school history.

In Logansport, 107.3 WRSW will broadcast all three 2A semi-state matchups with the Whitko Lady Wildcats making their first-ever appearance in semi-state. Whitko captured their first-ever sectional, and regional championships over the last two weekends.

Whitko (21-4) will play Eastside (26-1) at 10 a.m. In game two Sheridan (25-1) will play Rensselaer Central (24-2) at noon

Rita Price and Baylen Hite will be broadcasting the games. You can listen to the pregame show starting 30 minutes before each tipoff time on 107.3 WRSW, online, or through the 107.3 WRSW app.

The post Warsaw and Whitko head into Semi-state action Saturday appeared first on News Now Warsaw.