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.Master Trooper Tim Wood retires after serving 34 dedicated years of service to the Indiana State Police and to the communities in which he served.

Wood is a native of Dundee, IL, but later moved to Mt. Vernon and then to Newburgh in 1970. He graduated from Castle High School in 1971.

He graduated from the Indiana State Police Academy in August 1979 and was assigned to the Lafayette District where he primarily patrolled White County. Wood transferred to the Evansville District in September 1981 and primarily patrolled Vanderburgh County. In June 1988, he was one of 20 troopers selected into the “High Performance Vehicle” program and was issued an unmarked Ford Mustang. Troopers in the program were responsible for patrolling high crash areas and reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities. In October 2005 the Indiana State Police started its very first motorcycle patrol division. Wood was one of 25 other troopers selected to patrol on Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Wood and his wife, Paula, have been married for 40 years and reside in Posey County. They have three children and 10 grandchildren.

Sofie is a gorgeous one-year-old female cat! She came to a nice family once who tried to keep her, but their other animals did not like Sofie, so they brought her to the VHS so they could help her find her forever family. Sofie is friendly and lives with over 20 other cats at the shelter, so she’s used to having to share her space! Her adoption fee is $30, which includes her spay, microchip, vaccinations, and a bag of food to take home.

The Indiana State Police Alliance and the citizens of Indiana lost a hero yesterday. K-9 Kilo was killed in the line of duty. Kilo’s handler was Nathan Abbott and their tour of duty with the ISP started January 5, 2007. Together they have spent the past six and one half years protecting all Hoosiers. Kilo will be missed by those who worked with him and those he protected.

Below is information for those wishing to make a donation in memory of Kilo. 100% of all donations will be used to support the ISP K-9 program in memory of Kilo. These donations are also tax exempt. If you have any questions please contact Wayne Flick at the Indiana State Police Alliance, 317-636-0929 or by email at: wayneflick@indianasfinest.com.

Please ensure you designate your donation is for the “Kilo Memorial Fund”. Donations may be made to the:

“Kilo Memorial Fund”
CFK/ISPA Foundation
1415 Shelby St.
Indianapolis, IN 46203

As Barry Manilow famously claims in one of his best-known songs, he writes the songs that make the whole world sing. Judging by the number of fans joining him on the lyrics of every song in his setlist on Wednesday night at the Ford Center, he is probably right. The consummate entertainer even after three decades in the business, Manilow filled his two hours on stage with the verve and energy of his beloved classic tunes, plenty of banter and self-deprecating humor, and a heart-felt moment or two as he walked the audience down memory lane. His “Fanilows” loved every moment of it, and even more casual fans left with wide smiles and declarations of “He’s still got it!” at the end of the night.

“We are honored that the iconic Barry Manilow chose Evansville as a stop on his limited tour after many years of performing exclusively in New York and Las Vegas,” stated Executive Director Scott Schoenike.

Early in June, Manilow announced that he would be donating a new Yamaha piano to kick off an instrument drive for Evansville public schools. Fans could bring a new or gently used instrument of their own to the Ford Center ticket office prior to the show in exchange for complimentary tickets. The drive proved to be a resounding success, with more than 50 instruments collected – well above the tour’s average.

The Ford Center will welcome fans back to the building later this summer with Lynyrd Skynyrd August 1, Kirk Franklin August 31, and Sesame Street Live September 6-8.

After 40 years of service, Jerry F. Scheidler, long-time program director for SWIRCA & More, has decided to retire, leaving a legacy of community giving and advocacy spanning four decades with our agency. It is with much sadness that we say good-bye to a man who has been with SWIRCA from its infancy and helmed the creation and growth of a Nutrition Program that last year alone served over 266,000 meals to the Southwestern Indiana region. As only the second person to be employed by SWIRCA he has touched hundreds of thousands of lives through his direction culminating in a team of over 90 employees delivering direct services to over 11,000 people in our 6-county area, making SWIRCA & More an integral and vibrant member of Southwest Indiana. He stands as the longest serving Nutrition Director in the United States of America.
While these grand feats serve to illustrate the work ethic and passion Jerry has for his career they do not adequately portray the character of the man we have come to know and love. Jerry began his mission of serving others by physically serving others at his father’s side when he was a teenager. Every Wednesday, Jerry and his dad would deliver meals to the homebound clients of the Greensburg Senior Center. It is not without irony that Jerry applied for a position at SWIRCA & More and would go on to create a department that would eventually serve meals to a six county wide region. His heart for seniors was already firmly established as in his original job application, written 40 years ago, the 23 year old Jerry wrote, “I know a lot of senior citizens are forgotten. Many feel that their lives have virtually ended. This is a very sad situation. But Senior Citizens can be shown that they can still lead rich and full lives and that they are still very useful in our society.”
Throughout his years with SWIRCA, Jerry has developed countless lasting relationships with seniors. There is not a week that goes by where Jerry does not visit one of the 26 meal sites to have lunch and fellowship with the individuals who come to eat not only for their daily meal but to socialize with others. Jerry has always has an insatiable curiosity of the ways others live their lives and to hear their stories. This curiosity has at times gotten into many an awkward and humorous situation.
Jerry’s passion for others has been evident in the role he plays as a mentor to his staff, a helping hand in their times of need and his attempts to bring humor to every situation (often referred to as “Jerryisms”). Many in his position would be content to rest on their laurels but not Jerry! You will find him, on any given weekend doing yard work and picking up trash at SWIRCA and the surrounding neighborhood, jobs that our agency does not have funding to pay for. His passion for helping even reaches the personal plights of our clients. He spends time helping several of them by mowing their grass and tending their yards in his free time at no cost.
Jerry is man of both great accomplishments and everyday kindnesses. It is rare to find someone who truly believes that all people deserve dignity, compassion and should be shown that they are valued.
He has truly shown that one man can make a difference.