December 28th the Rochester Zebras will visit Bankers Life Field House to take on the Lewis Cass Kings on the floor normally reserved for the pros. Rochester Athletic Director Ryan Johnson encourages you to show support that day and shares how you can get you ticket in advance.

USDA reminded producers in Indiana that the nationwide deadline to sign up for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) is Dec. 6, 2019. MFP payments are aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations.

“Farmers have had a tough year due to unfair trade retaliation and natural disasters, but the Market Facilitation Program offers some much-needed relief,” said Steven Brown, State Executive Director in Indiana. “I encourage farmers not to miss the deadline to submit an application.”

Since signup began on July 29, more than 32,000 producers in Indiana have signed up for MFP and have received $532,266,416.56. Across the country, more than $10.1 billion has been paid for 2019 MFP crop and livestock commodities to nearly 601,000 applicants.

Last month, USDA began making payments on the second tranche of 2019 MFP payments. Producers of MFP-eligible commodities are now eligible to receive 75 percent of the total potential payment. If conditions warrant, producers may receive the final tranche in January 2020.

Additionally, due to changes to the 2018 MFP program that were required by the 2019 Disaster Bill, producers previously deemed ineligible for MFP in 2018 because they had an average AGI level higher than $900,000 may now be eligible for 2018 MFP benefits. Those producers must be able to verify 75 percent or more of their average AGI was derived from farming and ranching to qualify. The deadline for this signup is also Dec. 6, 2019.

Producers who have yet to sign up for MFP should contact their local FSA office. Information on eligibility requirements and the application can also be found on www.farmers.gov/MFP.

A former Winona Lake town marshall and longtime active member in his community, Terry Howie, has passed away.

Howie moved to Winona Lake from Pennsylvania in 1946.  He’s been a resident there since 1964.

Howie owned and operated his own business, Howie Heating and Cooling, since 1972 installing and servicing furnaces and air conditioning systems in the Kosciusko County area. 

He also began as a part time paid officer for the Winona Lake Police Department in 1982 and as a full time officer in 1984.  Howie also served as Town Marshal from 1990-1995. 

His son, Jeffrey, became a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department jailer, then a deputy and they served in local law enforcement for several years.

Howie served as a trustee for the Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church and on the Kosciusko County Local Coordinating Council of the Governor’s Commission for a Drug Free Indiana.  He has been a member of the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police, the Fraternal Order of Police, Kosciusko County Republican Party, and IDEM’s “Protecting the Environment Program.” 

Howie died unexpectedly on Monday.  He was 73.