I have been doing some research at the Warsaw Public Library looking at old issues of the Warsaw Union. 

I have been keeping a secret from you all.

One year in, the difference is real. After a weak economy and a country in decline under President Biden, America is back on track under President Trump and House Republicans with lower costs, bigger paychecks, and safer communities.

Torrey Johnson and Billy Graham were fishing one day off the coast of Florida. Johnson was the pastor of Midwest Bible Church in Chicago and Graham, a recent graduate of Wheaton College, was the young pastor of a church in Western Springs, a suburb of Chicago.

I’m incredibly happy about the Indiana University (IU) Hoosiers’ clinching the College Football Playoff title last Monday.

In the 30-plus years I’ve been in the financial planning business, I have been asked many times about ideas and methods for staying on top of your financial life. Many people take the time to put together a financial plan, work on implementing it, then ignore it for years at a time.

Saying goodbye is never fun, but sometimes, it’s much harder than others. This is one of those times.

It’s Sunday night, and I am standing up from my favorite reclining chair because I can’t take it anymore.

Spring Fountain Park, as modern-day Winona Lake was known at the turn into the 20th century, was growing by leaps and bounds. Automobiles were not yet common, so most visitors came via the bustling rail system that stretched across the corn and bean fields of northern Indiana.

These two words popped into my mind during a weekly phone call Sunday morning with my uncle/godfather where we cover topics including business, politics, entertainment, and sports (of course).

Our last two articles discussed putting a financial plan and a net worth statement together, as well as writing down your financial goals. In this article, we talk about how to put all these pieces together to accomplish an in-depth household budget you set out for.

If you’re a fan of both the Indiana Hoosiers and the Chicago Bears, you must think this is all a dream, right? 

“When a flashlight grows dim or quits working, do you just throw it away? Of course not. You change the batteries. When a person messes up or finds themselves in a dark place, do you cast them aside? Of course not! You help them change their batteries. Some need AA … attention and affection; Some need AAA … attention, affection and acceptance; some need C … compassion; some need D … direction. And if they still don’t seem to shine … simply sit with them quietly and share your light.”

There is a lot to be said for leftovers from the holidays.

Veterans in Indiana have a lot to be thankful for. We receive state tax reductions and enjoy hiring preferences when we apply for state jobs. And no state in the U.S. has a city like Indianapolis, which is home to more monuments and acreage dedicated to veterans than any other state in the nation.

It was about 11 a.m. on a mid-April day in 1914. Several maintenance men were raking and burning leaves below the Chestnut Street Hill, south of the Winona Hotel.

This week, we will continue to discuss the basics of financial planning and getting a handle on your money issues. While we are using the start of the new year as the reason for doing this, you can make these first steps at any time of the year.

A lot has happened since the last time I sat down to write one of these. The Bears beat the Packers in one of the craziest games I’ve ever watched and then clinched a playoff spot a day later. The College Football Playoff got underway, leading to a few stinkers, a couple good games and the absence of any blue bloods in the final four. Meanwhile, during all of this, Notre Dame fans still haven’t stopped crying! Remarkable stuff. 

In my almost 35 years of broadcasting games in Warsaw, I have had a lot of opportunities to do a lot of fun and cool things.

Indiana, admitted to the Union as the 19th state on Dec. 11, 1816, was populated initially by a variety of indigenous Native American peoples. The name “Indiana” means “land of the Indians” or “Indian land” and dates back at least to the 1760s. It was applied to the region by the U.S. Congress when the Indiana Territory was incorporated effective July 4, 1800. It was signed into law by President John Adams, separating it from the Northwest Territory. The state’s northernmost tier, which includes Winona Lake, was settled primarily by migrants from New England and New York.

Happy New Year! I’m hoping for a constructively boring 2026… in life, not in sports.

As we settle into 2026, it is a good time to review your investments and potentially make adjustments based on your results in 2025.   Plus, reviewing your portfolio is something you can do …

As we put 2025 to bed and say “hello” to a new year, it’s time to consider what 2026 could bring for the universe of sports.

Editor, Times-Union: A shelter vs. a hotel isn’t the point; a shelter is a last resort in a crisis that the town could easily prevent. The shelter itself is not supposed to be Plan A; it’s there as a safety net if the other resources fail. Those resources are not supposed to fail intentionally. Employment connections are important, but they do not replace stable housing or prevent eviction. We should be doing everything possible to prevent that trauma in the first place. The Mission can be an important resource, but it cannot replace prevention when arrears are still small enough to resolve. Prevention is cheaper, more humane, and more effective than response.

Editor, Times-Union: We choose to believe what we want to believe. Too many people take advantage of that fact and know the gullible will believe lies if they are what the gullible want to believe.