ROCHESTER — The Fulton County Sheriff's Office and Coroner's Office are investigating the death of a Claypool man near a bridge in Rochester. 

According to police, officers following up on a welfare check discovered the body of a man near a public access along the Tippecanoe River. 

The man was identified as 35-year-old Brian Gamble of Claypool. 

The cause and manner of death remain under investigation.

No other details were immediately available.

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WARSAW — There were no fireworks or celebrations, but as of Tuesday, Kosciusko County now has its first county park.

That follows the county commissioners' approval of a deed transfer of a 1.8-acre area near the historic Chinworth Bridge along Old Road 30 West.

The property, now known as the Old Chinworth Bridge Trailhead Park, had previously been owned by the Kosciusko County Historical Society.

County Parks Board member Aggie Sweeney said it's a significant moment because the county can now improve the park and the historic Red Bridge.

The basics of a park have existed for years at what was a former rest area. Amenities include the Kiwanis Club pavilion, a kayak launch and a walking path that connects with the Chinworth Bridge Trailhead and the Lake City Greenway.

The first stretch of a newly constructed trail was completed last year and heads further west.

“With the river also running through it, it's a really wonderful opportunity for us to develop it into a park for even more uses,” Sweeney told the county commissioners Tuesday morning.

The commissioners also signed off on a plan to use $8,500 in EDIT money for a conceptual design needed as the county seeks grant money for improvements through the Community Amenities Program.

Slate Auto is expected to begin production later this year at the old RR Donnelley plant a quarter-mile to the east, and new pavement along that stretch of Old Road 30 was recently added.

“That park is really a gateway into Warsaw for anyone traveling along that road,” she said. “And as Visit Sitewe see how that side of Warsaw develops, we're anticipating a significant increase in jobs along that route and in that area. 

“It's pretty exciting,” she added.

The Friends of Trails, a volunteer group, has already started doing work to remove some of the invasive species and clean up the river shoreline.

The Kosciusko County Highway Department also has been tremendous in helping with that, Sweeney said.

The Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board was established by the county in 2022 with an understanding that any land improvements would be done with minimal expenses, and future plans seem to embrace that approach.

Much of the past work has relied on grant money.

Some of the planned improvements include:

• Establish a temporary restroom enclosure. 
• Expand the walkway that connects to the bridge over to the pavilion.
• Improve access for canoes or kayaks into the river.
• Improve lighting near the bridge.

“And we want to implement a long-term plan related to invasive plant and aggressive plant removal, both to shore up the shoreline along the river, but also to, in some places, open up the view to the river,” Sweeney said.

A view

[caption id="attachment_132605" align="aligncenter" width="854"] This map of the Chinworth Bridge Park area is from Beacon.[/caption]

Below is a chronological history of the Chinworth Bridge and some photos taken on Thursday by Dan Spalding, News Now Warsaw.

[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="132601,132597,132598,132600"]

The post Improvements eyed for newly-established county park next to Chinworth Bridge appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

NORTH WEBSTER — Floodwaters on the Tippecanoe River in Oswego appear to have crested, the National Weather Service said Tuesday late morning after reaching a major flood level.

Water levels reached 8.97 feet, just shy of the threshold of nine feet, representing a major flood and four inches short of the record, the weather service reported

Rainfall began nearly a week ago and dumped 4-5 inches of rain that caused flooding over the weekend across many low-lying areas, including parts of the Tippeanoe River.

Floodwaters appeared to reach several homes on Kuhn Lake, and at least two homes were surrounded by water along Sunset Drive on the north side of Warsaw.

Meteorologist Lonnie Fisher said more rain is expected on Thursday night, but it does look as if it will worsen the situation.

If anything, additional rain, expected to be one quarter of an inche to half an inch, would likely slow down the rate as water levels recede.

The weather service reports 2.34 inches of rain fell on Tuesday, followed by an additional 2.39 inches from Wednesday through Saturday.

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