News-Banner
Bluffton, Ind.

By Sarah Pulliam
To make sure the handicapped can make it to the polls, some Wells County voters will have to travel to a new place to vote next year.
More than 400 people in Jackson Township will vote three miles from the Mount Zion Conservation Club at the Southern Wells school with Chester Township residents.
The County Commissioners agreed to approve the move June 20 at the recommendation of County Clerk Beth Davis.
Polling places are required to be handicap accessible by Jan. 1, 2006, as a result of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Congress passed in 2002.
Wells County voters surveyed the 18 Wells County polling places to see whether the places met the HAVA standards.
The 4-H building was the only polling site that fulfilled the standards.
Some polling sites needed small changes such as signs added, but other sites like the conservation club will need to be moved.
If polling places are moved, they must be within five miles of the previous polling place.
The conservation club did not meet 11 requirements such as paving and door width, according to the survey results.
“It just had so many different areas that needed to be changed,” Davis said. “It was just easiest to change it to a place that was accessible.”
In addition, the County Commissioners agreed to change the entrance at the Bluffton Middle School polling place for Harrison East.
Voters at Bluffton Middle School would enter at the east side of the school, which is not wheelchair accessible. They will now enter with Harrison West on the west side of the school but still vote on different sides of the hall.
“It’s probably going to lead more traffic into that entrance but they’ll still be able to set their precincts,” Davis said. “I don’t think it’s going to create that much of a problem.”
Davis is also looking to move the poll sites at National Guard Armory and Community Christian School poll sites.
The National Guard Armory failed to meet nine requirements and Community Christian School failed to meet seven requirements.
Davis said even though some people will have to drive farther, she thinks the changes will go smoothly.
“We know there will be some people who don’t want it to change but it’s one of those things that you don’t have control over,” she said.
The Ossian Elementary School and the Ossian Town Hall are paving new parking lots before Davis re-evaluates the polling places.
“I think they’re going to be feasible changes,” she said. “Hopefully the new parking lot would take care of what we need there.”
Davis said she is still evaluating the Uniondale Fire Department, Petroleum United Methodist Church, Liberty Center United Methodist Church and Capri Meadows to see if changes are feasible.
Seven poll sites needed temporary handicap signs added. Davis said she applied to the state for a grant to fund the signs.
Voters whose polling places change will receive notification in the mail at the end of the year when the changes are finalized.
Changes continue in the election office as Janet Double will replace Dianna Huffman who resigned as the Wells County voter registration clerk next month.
Also, efforts to purge election records continue as returned postcards are being sorted alphabetically within precincts and checked against the poll books.
“We knew that this was going to be a long job and it’ll take us a long time to do but it’ll be worth the effort,” Davis said. “We just keep working on it every day, every spare moment we have.”
Out of the 21,200 postcards that were mailed May 26, Davis estimated one-fourth have been returned because the voter did not live at the address.
More than 21,000 registered voters live in the county, according to Davis.
In a county of 27,600 residents with 8,294 people under 19 years of age listed in the 2000 Census, the election office allows for more registered voters than possible.
Davis hopes to purge the records of people who have died or moved. Purging the records will increase the voter percentage and decrease risk of fraud.
Indiana is moving to a statewide voter registration by Jan. 1, 2006, as a result of HAVA.
The clerk’s office will send the current voter registration cards to the State Election division in the fall where the registration will be scanned and returned to the clerk’s office.
Each postcard contains pre-paid postage and must be signed and returned by Aug. 1 for a voter to remain active.
Voter registrations on inactive status will be canceled after the 2008 election. Voters who did not receive a postcard can contact the clerk’s office at 824-6497.
Wells County residents can register to vote at the clerk’s office, Bureau of Motor Vehicles or the State Election Division or online from the secretary of state’s Web site.

News-Banner
Bluffton, Ind.
June 18, 2005

Rubber Bracelet Trend Hits Wells County

By Sarah Pulliam
Every color of the rainbow is on display in Wells County stores and on child, teen and adult wrists.
The rubber bracelet fashion was made popular by Lance Armstrong’s yellow Livestrong bracelets that launched last year to raise money for cancer patients.
Nike developed the bracelet idea, produced the bracelets and donated $1 million to the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), formed in 1997 after Armstrong survived testicular cancer.
“To date, more than 50 million Livestrong wristbands have been sold at $1 apiece, and we are thrilled about the success of the campaign,” said LAF spokesperson Jennifer Halpin.
According to Halpin, LAF sells an average of 100,000 online every day and has sold wristbands to citizens in more than 60 countries.
Halpin said all of the proceeds from sales benefit the LAF to support the research, education, public health and advocacy campaigns. Approximately 81 percent of the money LAF spends goes directly to programs for people with cancer, 8 percent for fundraising and the rest for administrative.
“For Lance and many people living with cancer, yellow is the color of hope, courage, inspiration and perseverance – and the color of the leader’s jersey in the Tour de France,” said Mitch Stoller, President and CEO of LAF, in a statement. “Livestrong wristbands allow everyone to share that spirit – especially the millions of people living with cancer.”
Some of the celebrities, politicians and athletes who have worn Livestrong wristbands include Armstrong’s girlfriend Sheryl Crow, Bono, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, President George Bush, former president Bill Clinton and Sen. John F. Kerry.
Other groups have latched onto the idea, allowing buyers to wear their allegiance to countries, sports teams, religions and disease awareness on their wrists.
A Google search Friday produced 665,000 items found for Livestrong bracelets and 1,270,000 items for rubber bracelets.
An eBay search Thursday displayed 1,803 items found for Livestrong bracelets and 1,680 items for rubber bracelets.
Collectors Paradise’s Web site advertises in camouflage, tie dye and glitter bracelets in multiple colors.
Some of the wristbands displayed were purple “Mindstrong” for Alzheimer’s Disease awareness, yellow “Rest in Peace” for Pope John Paul II and “Kiss Me” in multiple colors.

Wells County Schools
Norwell High School nurse, Sandy Langel, sold more than 120 purple $2 “Hope Courage Faith” bracelets in May.
The bracelets were sold for a week to raise money for the Relay for Life June 24 and 25.
Relay for Life is an 18-hour relay event that raises money for the American Cancer Society to help fight cancer .
Langel said the bracelets were a successful way to raise money.
“I think we need to get young people more involved in this, and this is a great way because kids love to wear these,” Langel said.
Bluffton-Harrison Elementary School sold $1 camouflage “Support our Troops” and red, white and blue bracelets throughout April and May for a fundraiser sponsored by teachers Pam Miller and Judy Werling’s fourth-grade classes.
Miller said the classes sold about 1,800 bracelets and the money raised was used to send supplies such as candy, cake mixes and socks to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“A lot of different causes are taking different color bracelets and it really took off quickly,” Miller said.
Southern Wells did not sell rubber bracelets during the school year, according to Principal James Schwarzkopf.

Churches
First Church of Christ is giving purple “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do) rubber bracelets to kids in participating in Vacation Bible School this week, according to Pastor Larry Sprinkle.
“WWJD is filled with lots of potential. What Would Jesus Do serves as a reminder of lifestyle,” Sprinkle said. “I actually have one on my arm right now.”
Bluffton resident Jill Frauhiger began wearing a LiveStrong bracelet last month in honor of her mother who was diagnosed with cancer in April. Frauhiger received the bracelet from a friend at Life Church who gave it to her.
Hope Missionary Church distributed more than 30 green “Save Darfur” bracelets May 15 to raise awareness of the crisis in Darfur region in Sudan.
The Save Darfur Coalition was formed to raise awareness and advocate efforts to end suffering created by government militias who are destroying communities of African tribal farmers, according to the Web site.
Associate Pastor Matt Hartsell said he made a donation to a Web site to buy the bracelets, and then 215 church members signed a petition for the United States to intervene.
Hartsell said the bracelets were a success.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Hartsell said. “Every time somebody sees it, it reminds them to intervene, write a congressman, say a prayer.”

Hospitals
The Associated Press (AP) reported that a hospital chain is taping over Livestrong bracelets because they are the same color as “do not resuscitate” for patients who do not want to be revived if their heart stops.
Hospitals such as BayCare Health Systems, use bracelets to quickly tell doctors and nurses instructions for the patient. No mix-ups have been reported, according to the AP.
Betsy Needler, public relations specialist at Bluffton Regional Medical Center, said that the hospital uses color coded bracelets.
“We don’t foresee a problem with the nurses confusing the bracelets because the design is so different,” Needler said. “The rubber bracelets are thicker and not as wide as the bracelets we use to indicate allergies, ‘do not resuscitate’ or even the name band.”
Needler said the different color bracelets include clear for name bands, red for allergies and blue for “do not resuscitate.”
“Where this would most likely be a problem is in surgery where the patients can’t speak for themselves,” she said. “There is a policy to remove or tape over any jewelry whether it’s a wrist band or an earring they’re not going to to take out.”

Bluffton stores
Wal-Mart is selling blank tie dye bracelets, light pink bands to promote breast cancer awareness. The store also sells various colored No Boundaries bracelets that have numerous sayings, including “Chillax,” “Brat” and “Hottie.”
Walgreens is selling “Class of 2005” rubber bracelets in various colors while Hallmark is selling “Love Life” in pale colors.
Pak-a-Sak on Wabash and S. Main streets are selling “Git-R-Done” bands in red, black and green to promote the Diabetes Research Institute.
Good Shepherd bookstore is selling “WWJD” in purple, “Jesus” in green and red “Live for Him” bracelets.
For each “Live for Him” bracelet sold, 25 cents are donated to Compassion International, an organization that sponsors orphans in third-world countries, according to Robin Gentis, a Good Shepherd employee. Gentis said three months ago, more than $25,000 was raised for the organization because of the bracelets.
“I’m sure they all got started from the Livestrong,” she said.

Opinions
Bluffton resident Amber Winchester said she likes the bracelets if they have a purpose.
“When Adidas and Nike were making them, it was defeating the purpose of the awareness bracelets,” she said.
While some in Bluffton wear multiple rubber bracelets, others don’t like them.
Bluffton High School student Jace Hill, 14, thinks the bracelets will die out eventually.
“I think they’re kind of stupid,” Hill said. “I started disliking them because everybody was wearing them and I just got sick of seeing them.”
Briena Stoller, 15, finds the bracelets easy to collect but doesn’t always wear her 15 bands.
“Sometimes they can get annoying,” said Stoller, a Bluffton High School student. “They stretch out kind of easily.”
Regardless of whether the fashion bug appeals to everyone, they will continue to sell in Wells County.
Alicia Moser, a Norwell High School student sported a red “Live for Him” bracelet she bought at Good Shepherd.
“It’s a pretty big thing at Norwell,” Moser said. “Most people have a couple and they change them according to their outfits.”
Moser said she had 10 bracelets, pointed to her elbow and said, “I have one friend who wears them up to here.”

(graph)
DECADES FADS

1920s
Flagpole Sitting - This fad became a popular spectator sport. It was started by a pro stuntman who eventually set the world record at 49 days.

1930s
Stamp Collecting - With the help of President Roosevelt and less income to spend on leisure due to the depression, this fad became popular.

1940s
Swallowing Goldfish - A fad that was very popular among college students and drew crowds of spectators who wanted to witness this.

1950s
Hula Hoop - One of the biggest fads of all time is the hula-hoop, invented in 1957, by an Australian. The name came from the Hawaiian dance.

1960s
Tie Dye T-shirts- Nothing said 'psychedelia' better than the rainbow explosion of swirling colors and bold designs of the ancient art of tie-dye.

1970s
Streaking- The craze of taking off all clothes and running across the field at major sporting events.

1980s
Video Arcades- There are many arcades now, but during the ‘80s, they were the “in” place to hangout.

1990s
Tattoos - Previously, people would get a tattoo to stand out, but in the ‘90s people were inking up with tattoos to blend in.

2000s
Pocket Bikes - Smaller and slower version of a motorcycle. Illegal to drive almost everywhere but people still buy them.

Information compiled from http://crazyfads.com. Lance Armstrong’s yellow Livestrong bracelets were included in the 2000s fads. More than 50 million bracelets have been sold across the globe.

So I thought I had a bad day.
- 3 people wouldn't give me their name for my article saying "I don't want to be in the paper." One lady even said "Give the credit to God." I thought, "Well honey, God didn't tell me this information and unless he revealed it to me in a dream, I can't attribute him."
- A semi-truck ignored the "right lane only" signs and splashed the newly painted yellow street lines on my black car, creating some ugly decoration.
- My phone died, cutting off my connectivity to the rest of the world.

But then I realized...
- I'm not recovering from a hip replacement like the lady complaining in Arby's.
- I don't have testicular cancer like the man I interviewed on the phone.
- I didn't lock my keys in my car for the fourth time in one week.

So we're sitting at the dinner table and 4-year-old Sam asks me how many kids live in my home. I tell him 6 kids and he promptly asks, "Are you the mother??"

I then ask Sam's sister Sally, 6, if I look old enough to be a mother and she looks at her mom across the kitchen, looks back at me, looks at her mom and said to me "Well you're not as smart."

Sally tells me I will be old enough to be a mother in one more year.

News-Banner
Bluffton, Ind.

By Sarah Pulliam
Colt Sain, 16, is frustrated that he cannot find a job after filling out more than seven applications.
“The only place that called me back was East of Chicago, and they didn’t hire me,” he said.
Sain, a Southern Wells High School student, said he began looking for a job last fall and found it difficult to find employment because he can only work limited hours. Sain plays sports at school and doesn’t own a car.
Wells County teens such as Sain may have difficulty finding jobs this summer.

Northeastern study
The 2005 national teen employment rate is the projected to be the lowest since 1948, according to a May report released by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston.
The study stated that last year’s teen employment rate had dropped to 36.3 percent.
Andrew Sum, director Center for Labor Market Studies and contributor to the study, said Indiana had a 15 point decline in teen employment in the last four summers.
Forty-seven percent of Indiana’s teenagers are employed compared to the 42 percent national teenage employment, according to Sum.
Sum said there are three groups of people competing with teens for employment: immigrants, older women and college graduates.
“The younger you are, the less likely you are to be employed,” Sum said.
Because employers hire teenagers they know, teenagers often find jobs through parents and friends.
“Teenagers often sometimes need someone to vouch for them,” he said. “If kids don’t have good brokering networks, it’s harder for them to find a job.”
According to the 2000 Census, there are 2,136 Wells County residents between the ages of 15 to 19.

Wells County employment
Well’s County’s WorkOne Manager Jan Trubey said it’s harder for youth to find summer employment because of child labor laws.
“Many adults are employed in some of the jobs that youth historically would fill during the summer,” Trubey said. “They’re also competing with college students.”
Trubey said teenagers should apply to many retail, fast food and convenient stores such as Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Family Dollar, McDonald’s and Pak-A-Sak.
“Most of the retail and services will take applications because they experience turnovers and they want a pool of applicants that they can call when they have an opening,” she said. “I think if you’re willing to work the hours that the employer needs and be willing to sweep floors or run a cash register, there are opportunities out there.”
WorkOne had a summer youth program five years ago, but Trubey said it lost federal and state funding.
Teenagers can use WorkOne’s free Internet-based system to match their qualifications with a job; however, Trubey said because many teenagers don’t have past experience, there are fewer job openings.
“Most of those jobs are going to be for people 18 and over,” she said.
Trubey said she advises teenagers to offer employers flexibility, proper attire when applying and then follow-up after applying with phone calls.
“Youth need to be aware that the job market is competitive and the better impression they can make, the more likely they can get a job,” Trubey said.
Wells County Chamber of Commerce CEO Garry Jones said employment in the county has changed in the last five or ten years.
“One of the difficult things right now is we have quite a few senior citizens in the work force,” he said.
Jones said the service sector, lawn care and Ouabache State Park are promising employment opportunities for teenagers.
“I think there’s a little difficulty for teenagers to find jobs,” Jones said. “I don’t think it’s any more difficult here than it is in any other community.”
David Knowles, manager of Wal-Mart, said about 20 teenagers are working for him this summer as stock employees or cashiers and he is still taking applications.
“ I’ve got some kids who are just awesome and then I have some kids who aren’t dependable,” he said. “I would say for the most part, 90 percent of the teenagers I have are very good.”
Knowles said his biggest frustration is employees who call-in sick on the weekends or holidays.
“Fridays and Saturdays we get a lot of call-ins that would never call-in on Mondays,” Knowles said. “That’s our biggest struggle because Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday are our days where we’re busiest.”
Knowles said Wal-Mart turns people down because they want more money or only want to work certain hours.
“The biggest thing that I would advise teenagers is find a job that they would enjoy,” he said. “You’re only going to be young once, enjoy it while you can.”

Wells County schools
Superintendent of Southern Wells Neil Potter said the school provides Guideman, a monthly publication that lists employment opportunities and they list announcements over the PA or post them on the bulletin board.
“We also sometimes help our juniors and seniors with job seeking skills such as interviewing and the application process,” Potter said.
Potter said Southern Wells students sometimes say it’s difficult to find a job, but he hasn’t heard a lot of complaints.
“There are some who get the factory work, but most of them are in the restaurant sector or family farm business,” he said.
Southern Wells provided 18 work permits for students ages 14-17 in the month of May.
Superintendent of Northern Wells Gina Berridge said the school places employment opportunities on the video screen in classrooms.
She said Norwell issues an average of five work permits a week, and many students work at ice cream shops, grocery stores, construction and on farms. Norwell High School students take a career class their freshman year.
“We don’t have a career counselor, but all three of the counselors at the school would help students,” she said.
Jean Anderson, treasurer at Bluffton High School, said that the school announces any employment opportunities over the intercom.
She said the students haven’t complained about finding a summer job, and she gave out 10 permits in the last two weeks.
“We seem to give a lot of work permits so I don’t hear any problems,” Anderson said.

Students speak
Derek Meyer, 18, said he works 15 to 20 hours a week at Scott’s grocery store, a job he found last October.
“I applied, like everywhere,” Meyer said. “It took me a long time. It’s hard to find a job when you have long hair. Then I finally figured out my aunt works there.”
Meyer, a Bluffton High School student, said he is saving money to replace a damaged refrigerator, repair a damaged car, buy a new guitar and travel to Germany, to which his three friends laughed and said, “You have high hopes, man.”
Sarah Kunkel, 19, said she filled out eight applications before finding a job at Wal-Mart in April.
“I was working in fast food at the time and I didn’t want to go back so I thought it would be fun to be a cashier,” she said.
Kunkel is a recent Norwell High School graduate and works 21 hours a week to pay for college tuition at Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne in the fall. She said Wal-Mart is a good environment to work in.
“They’re really good when I need days off,” Kunkel said. “They work around your schedule well.”
Her advice to other teenagers was to fill out many applications.
She said, “You can’t be picky.”

(Graph)

WHERE INDIANA TEENS WORK
(Non-Agriculture)

Restaurants 55.4 %

Retail Wholesale 21.15 %

Amusement/Recreation 6.12 %

Grocery Stores 2.56 %

Services 2.68 %

Nursing Homes 2.15 %

Municipalities 2.03 %

Source: Indiana Department of Labor, Bureau of Child Labor: Work Permits Issued by Indiana Schools FY 2002-2003

Check out the dialogue on this mass email to the family.

On 6/13/05, Daniel Pulliam wrote:

I think as a family we out to begin adopting a more Christian approach to the way we wear and I think this Web site would be a great place to start. I've talked to Dad and he says that he can provide the funding for the girls. As for the guys, well, we're cool, I think.

http://www.wholesomewear.com/

On Jun 14, 2005, Sarah Pulliam wrote:

Go give yourself a wedgie.

On 6/13/05, Daniel Pulliam wrote:

As my genius brother John would say, this all puts the FUN back into
FUNdamentalism.
Daniel

On Jun 14, 2005, Sarah Pulliam wrote:

Since we're sending mass emails like every loving family should, give
me article ideas for small town newspapers. What do you guys care
about to read in the newspaper? What have you been wondering about?
Like Subway stamps.

On Jun 14, 2005, John Pulliam wrote:

alight, here's the story of the year for that town: plant drugs in the
mayors office, then get him to say he doesn't have drugs, then do the
investigitory journalism to bust him, it could be like watergate

On Jun 14, 2005, Sarah Pulliam wrote:

Oo good one. where do I get the pot?

On Jun 14, 2005, David Pulliam wrote:

hehehehehe I am definitely all for more modest wear for the girls in the family. lol

On Jun 14, 2005, Anna Pulliam wrote:

Yea, considering Sarah's articals are boring.... hehe just kidding, Sarah. Daniel, I think you need to be more modest instead of flashing your stomach at us. Those bathing suits really scared me though. I'm not sure if I'll be able to sleep tonight. I'm for Dad funding it though. I'll just use the money on something else.

Question: What's more embarrassing than locking your keys in your car twice in one week?
Answer: Walking into the men's restroom?
Being kicked out of Wal-Mart?

No.

Locking your keys in your car three times in one week.

Don't laugh.

News-Banner
Bluffton, Ind.
June 11, 2005

By Sarah Pulliam
More than three hours of rain delays caused a disappointing end to Norwell’s golf season.
Senior Justin Imel shot an 80 while his cousin, junior Kyle Imel carded a 82, representing Wells County in the state regionals Friday in Muncie.
To advance to state finals, the Imels had to score at least a 74.
“I think it was my third worst score ever,” Justin said. “It was going well untill the rain delay and then I just fell apart.”
The Imels began the tournament around 8 a.m. and both finished the first hole on the upswing with birdies. Justin finished the first nine holes with a 37 while Kyle finished with a 38.
Lightening caused a three hour rain delay at 11 o’clock, right after the golfers finished the first nine.
After the announcement was made to continue the tournament, families pulled out colorful umbrellas to watch the competition in sprinkling rain. Ducks emerged from the water to plant themselves on the green.
Justin received penalty strokes for hitting the ball out of bounds twice during the last nine holes.
“Hitting out of bounds and not making any putts frustrated me today,” he said.
Justin had never played Muncie’s The Player’s Club before this week.
“They only had one practice round before this,” said Coach Judy Ault. “It made a big difference, I think.”
Kyle double-boggied quickly after the rain delay to raise his score.
“I played some poor golf today,” he said after the game. “Everything went wrong I guess.”
Ault said it was difficult to get back into focus after the delay.
“Kyle didn’t get a break all day long,” Ault said. “Putts just wouldn’t fall.”
“I don’t think they played to their capabilities,” said their Grandpa Bob Imel. “I think the rain had an effect and took the momentum away from them.”
Imel and Ault took turns watching the Norwell cousins compete.
“I always enjoy watching them play,” Imel said.
Justin played the tournament with golfers from Union City and Tri highschools while Kyle played with golfers from Hamilton Southeastern and Wapahani highschools.
Noblesville High School won the tournament with a score of 296. Carmel High School’s Peter O’Neill scored the highest with a 70.
Justin’s and Kyle’s different personalities were displayed throughout the tournament.
While Kyle rarely spoke to anyone and focused on the tournament with his eyebrows burrowed in his forehead, Justin chatted occassionally with his two friends from Norwell.
Kyle showed emotion through his body language, shaking his head or fist after each shot while Justin verbally expressed frustration orsatisfaction after each shot.
Both golfers’ families and friends were there to support them.
“I feel like maybe I let them down but I'm really glad they're here,” Kyle said.
Ault said she will miss Justin when he leaves Norwell to play golf for Huntington University next year.
“His determination and his competativeness is going to be hard to match,” she said.“Norwell has never seen anyone come to regionals four years in a row so that’s Norwell history right there.”
Kyle said it was unfortunate Justin didn’t make it to state his senior year.
“It was fun playing with him for 3 years,” he said. “It’ll be different not having him there.”
Although the IHSAA season is over for Kyle, he plans to compete in eight to ten tournaments this summer.
“I want to get experience and come back next year to be even better,” he said. “I just want another shot at this next year, and I want to go to state.”
Ault is positive about next year’s golf team.
“There are some good freshman coming on and if the underclassmen practice all summer, we should have a strong team next year,” she said. “Hopefully next year, we'll have the whole team here instead of just two.”

News-Banner
Bluffton, Ind.
June 8, 2005

By Sarah Pulliam
Fraud is forcing Subway out of the food stamp business.
Bluffton’s Subway customers must redeem their free sandwich cards by July 31 while the entire program will be phased out of the company by Oct. 1.
Subway spokesman Kevin Kane said people have been creating and selling copies of the restaurant’s stamps and cards, and various franchises have discovered counterfeit stamps.
Kane could not estimate losses for Subway’s more than 23,000 restaurants in 82 countries due to counterfeit stamps.
“The unfortunate part was it wasn’t lost by the company,” Kane said. “It was lost by the franchises which is more upsetting.”
An eBay search Wednesday found 264 auctions and an $150 bid for 5,000 Subway stamps to redeem 625 sandwiches.
For more than 20 years, customers could receive a stamp for each 6-inch purchased sub. After purchasing a drink, customers could return the card with eight stamps for a free sandwich.
“It’s an old program,” Kane said. “It seems kind of antique when you’re giving someone a paper card and have them lick the stamps.”
Kane said each franchise will choose its own promotional program to replace the stamp program.
Bluffton Subway’s owner Jim Miller said his restaurant will not replace the stamp program but customers are understanding.
Miller, a Uniondale resident, said that in 2004, he gave out more than $450,000 in free subs throughout his 21 franchises.
“We can’t afford it anymore,” Miller said. “There aren’t many restaurants that have programs like that because the amount of theft is just too high.”
While he could not estimate how much money Bluffton’s Subway lost due to fraud, Miller said some customers return cards with stamps that have consecutive numbers, so ending the program was a positive step for him.
“It’ll help our bottom line,” he said. “It also reduces the akwardness of customers who are routinely coming in with fraudulent stamps.”
Bluffton will see sandwich restaurant Quizno’s open in July, according to Owner Jeremy Eisenhut.
“Subway’s my biggest competition in town because it’s a similar product,” Eisenhut said.
Eisenhut, a Bluffton resident, said he thinks his franchise will be successful because they have their own stamp program similar to Subway’s called the Qcard.
Customers who purchase $5 at Quizno’s receive a stamp to fill a Qcard. Once customers fill the Qcard with ten stamps, they may return the card with ten stamps for $5 off the next purchase.
Miller said he doesn’t think Quizno’s opening will hurt his business.
“In the many different markets that have Quiznos, Subway hasn’t lost any money at all,” Miller said. “They sell a smaller sandwich for more money.”
Bluffton resident Cindy, who declined to give her last name, said she really liked the stamp program and still has one and one-half cards filled.
“It might make it less likely for us to go to Subway,” she said.”
Decatur resident Amy Garcia said she was a little disappointed Subway ended the stamp program and still has three full cards.
“It was nice that they did it but it won’t affect how frequently I go there,” Garcia said.
Garcia eats at Subway one to two times a week and said she likes Subway’s new program where they provide a special of the day.

AM-az-ing movie: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

If I feel inspired, I will write a review sometime.

Girls ages 16-20 will probably enjoy this movie, but thou mustest read the book first. I cried throughout. Sooo good.

News-Banner
Bluffton, Ind.
May 28, 2005

By Sarah Pulliam
Efforts to begin purging election records continued as 21,200 postcards were mailed Thursday.
“It’s probably been at least 10 years since we’ve done any kind of purge,” said Wells County Clerk Beth Davis.
Davis worked with seven deputies to double stamp, double label and fold the postcards.
“We’re just glad to have this done,” Davis said. “It took a lot of work. We’re exhausted.”
The county clerk’s office spent approximately $11,450 for the cost of printing the postcards and postage, according to Davis.
Davis said there are more than 21,000 registered voters in the county.
In a county of 27,600 residents with 8,294 people under 19 years of age listed in the 2000 Census, the election office allows for more registered voters than possible.
Davis said that by having many registered voters, it reduces the voter percentage.
“Without a purge, your voter poll counts continue to rise and you can’t get accurate counts,” she said.
Davis also said having registered voters who are not accounted for increases the risk of election fraud.
“We’ve never prosecuted anyone for election fraud,” she said. “It could happen anywhere but in our small county we don’t see it.”
Davis hopes to purge the records of people who have died or moved.
“The state election board brought it to our attention last September,” Davis said. “We just hope everyone responds so we can get the purging done.”
Indiana is moving to a statewide voter registration by Jan. 1, 2006 as a result of the Help America Vote Act passed in 2002 by Congress.
The clerk’s office will send the current voter registration cards to the State Election division in the fall where the registration will be scanned and returned to the clerk’s office.
Wells County will not send postcards again but will continue to keep records of the county.
“The new state system was put in place so each state would have one vendor for the entire state,” Davis said. “This new system does not take over any of the responsibility of the county clerks when to comes to voter registration, it is just suppose to make everything more uniformed and hopefully easier.”
Dianna Huffman who is the voter registration clerk will work to purge the records after she receives postcards.
“She’ll be pretty busy,” Davis said. “That’s why we want to do it on a non-election year — so we can get it done.”
Each postcard contains pre-paid postage and must be signed and returned by Aug. 1 for a voter to remain active.
If voters do not return the postcard, they will be put on inactive status. Voters on inactive status must vote during the 2005, 2006, 2007 or 2008 election or confirm registration with the county voter registration office.
Voter registrations on inactive status will be canceled after the 2008 election. Davis said residents who registered to vote after May 1 will not receive a postcard. Anyone who does not receive a postcard can contact the clerk’s office.
The postcards are to verify whether the address listed is the voter’s current address, previous address or whether the voter never lived at the address. They also confirm that the voter is a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old and request a current telephone number. The postcards contain spaces for a name change or an address change.
Davis said members of the election board Roy Johnson and Charles “Skeet” Decker aided with the purging efforts along with her deputies Nancy Dunwiddie, Dianna Huffman, Rhonda Gentis, Nicki Mills, LeaAnn Johnson, Lorraine Mettler and Deana Price.
Wells County residents can register to vote at the clerk’s office, Bureau of Motor Vehicles or the State Election Division or online from the secretary of state’s web site.

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Bluffton, Ind.
May 28, 2005

By Sarah Pulliam
Gas prices in Bluffton prove to be lower than the national and state averages as residents prepare for the holiday weekend.
Friday’s national average for regular unleaded fuel was $2.11, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report, while gas stations in Bluffton were selling for $1.98 and $1.99.
The state average for Indiana was $2.01 while the average in Hawaii proved to be the nation’s high at $2.55.
“Lower prices are a good service to the community and they bring in more customers,” said Ramesh Arza.
Arza is owner of Clark Oil Corp. at 656 N. Main where gas is selling for $1.98.
Phil Ringger, owner of the Airplane Express and Service Station at 407 N. Main St. where gas is selling for $1.99, said the information that Bluffton’s gas prices are lower than the national average is good news.
“You get better traffic flow,” Ringger said. “I think people are getting used to it. Now, anything under $2 seems like a deal.”
Ringger said his job has become more difficult because of increased competition and decreasing profits.
“I don’t think loyalty is here anymore,” he said. “The bottom line is price.”
Ringger said each gas station chooses its price based on cost and competition. He said Wednesday night, half of the gas stations in Bluffton raised the price of gas to $2.09 at 8 p.m., but lowered it back to $1.99 by 11 a.m. Thursday based on competition.
“People are more conscious of gas prices,” Ringger said. “People are going to have to drive; they have a choice.”
Bluffton resident Lori Mossburg said she was happy to hear about the comparison of gas while she and her 4-year-old daughter Emily pumped gas at the Pak-a-sak gas station on Wabash Street.
“I remember moving here when it was 99 cents so I think they’re a little high,” Mossburg said.
The average price for regular fuel in Fort Wayne Friday was $2.02 and $2.00 in Indianapolis, according to AAA’s report.
The highest recorded price of gas included in the report in Fort Wayne was $2.32 on April 7, 2005.
As part of the Great Lakes region, Indiana’s regional average was $2.05 compared to the Pacific Coast’s average of $2.42. The Midwest region proved to have the lowest average of $1.98.
The average price of regular gasoline hit a nationwide record of $2.28 on April 11, the highest Americans have paid since March 1981 when it was $3.10 during the Iran-Iraq war, according to a May 26 Dallas Morning News report.
World-wide, the report stated that the average price of fuel in Great Britain is $5.94 in May while the price in Venezuela averaged around 12 cents a gallon in March.
AAA estimates more than 37 million Americans will travel during the holiday weekend, a 2.2 percent increase from last year, according to a company press release. More than 31 million of Americans will travel by car.
States surrounding Indiana proved to have a varied average: Michigan at $2.09, Illinois at $2.09, Ohio at $2.01 and Kentucky at $2.
Bluffton residents who are traveling during the holiday weekend can calculate the estimated cost of a trip by visiting www.fuelcostcalculator.com/.