Convicted in shooting
A Jackson Township man was convicted of aggravated battery and battery with a deadly weapon on Friday in connection with a shooting at his residence in January.
At 4 a.m., following a trial which began on Monday, a jury found Randy M. Swisher, 53, of 437E U.S. Highway 6, guilty of both charges, Porter County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mike Drenth told the Chesterton Tribune today.
Aggravated battery is a Class B felony punishable by a term of six to 20 years; battery with a deadly weapon, a Class C felony punishable by a term of two to eight years. Superior Court Judge Bill Alexa is scheduled to sentence Swisher in September, Drenth said.
According to the Porter County Sheriff’s Police, at 4:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day, Swisher’s roommate, Chad Nolan, 21, accompanied by several friends and family members, went to the front door of the house. Swisher answered the door armed with a shotgun and several handguns, police said, and fired the shotgun at Nolan, hitting him in the right shoulder. Nolan himself was armed with a .22 caliber pistol and returned fire, hitting Swisher in the stomach and right leg, police said.
Swisher attempted to flee but, still armed with the pistol, was apprehended by PCSP officers, police said. Both Swisher and Nolan were treated at Porter Valparaiso Hospital Campus.
Police said that family members reported Swisher to have been acting delusional for several days prior to the incident but that no one had sought treatment for him.
Swisher was found competent to stand trial earlier this summer after a third competency test. Of two previous tests conducted by Porter-Starke Services, one found him competent, the other not competent.
Swisher represented himself during the trial after firing his public defender, Drenth said.

Man dies in crash on US 20 at Wagner Rd
A Michigan City man died Tuesday in a two vehicle accident at the intersection of U.S. Highway 20 and Wagner Road, Porter Police said.
The victim was identified as Lance Stroobandt, 37. Porter County Deputy Coroner pronounced him dead at the scene at 7:20 p.m., Coroner Vicki Deppe told the Chesterton Tribune today. An autopsy was scheduled for this morning.
According to police, at 6:52 p.m. Stroobandt was eastbound on U.S. 20 when Brian Otto, 24, of Panama City Beach, Fla., attempted to turn left from westbound U.S. 20 onto southbound Wagner Road. Otto’s 2005 Ford pickup truck struck Stroobandt’s Honda passenger car in the driver’s side door, police said.
Stroobandt was extricated from his vehicle by Porter firefighters, who were forced to cut the roof off the car and then use two tow trucks provided by Joe’s Towing Inc. to pull the vehicle apart, Fire Chief Lewis Craig said.
No further information was available. The PPD said that the accident remains under investigation.

Near drownings off Ogden Dunes blamed on rip currents
A Chicago woman and her 6-year-old son narrowly escaped drowning in Lake Michigan on Tuesday while swimming off the beach in Ogden Dunes.
Indiana Conservation Officer Matt Schurr attributed the near drowning to strong rip currents which pulled the woman and boy far off shore.
According to a statement released late Tuesday, the incident occurred at an unspecified time in the afternoon. The woman and boy—the latter wearing a life jacket—were playing in the waves approximately 20 to 30 feet from shore when the mother noticed her son being pulled out into the lake. She swam out to him, the statement said, but on reaching the child noticed that they were a long distance from shore and were being pulled fast to the west.
The woman, growing fatigued, called for help, and the boy’s father together with a family friend swam out to them and managed just barely to rescue mother and son, the statement said.
“All four people were completely exhausted by the time they made it to safety,” the statement said. “All four subjects were checked out by EMS and the family friend was taken to Porter hospital complaining of neck pain. The two men both stated that the power of the current and the pounding of the waves completely wore them out.”
“These people were very lucky today,” Schurr said. “This could have very easily been a catastrophe times four. All we can do is warn people to stay out of the water on days when the waves are high and the rip currents grow strong.”
Ogden Dunes Police and Fire, assisted by the Portage Fire Department, responded to the scene.
The municipal beach in Ogden Dunes is not patrolled by lifeguards. The woman and her family are renting a house in Ogden Dunes for the week, the statement said.
Rip currents were blamed for the drowning deaths of two Chicago boys earlier this summer, both at beaches unpatroled by lifeguards in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (INDU). On July 13 DeVante Jackson, 14, drowned off Kemil Beach after leaving the beach at Indiana Dunes State Park (IDSP) when strong rip currents forced its closure and moving to Kemil Beach. Jackson’s body was found on July 16. On Aug. 3 Raphael Palomar drowned off Porter Beach, again after leaving the beach at IDSP when high waves and rip currents forced its closure. Palomar’s body was found on Aug. 5.
Another near drowning occurred at Dunbar Beach in INDU on July 9 when four swimmers, three boys and an adult, were apparently caught in a rip current. All managed to reach shore without assistance but the adult was subsequently hospitalized.
Rip currents form in the lake when a strong north wind pushes large waves to shore. Those waves can begin to “stack up,” get trapped between the beach and sand bars off shore, until they “rip” through a weak spot in a sand bar. Then the trapped water rushes through the newly formed breach and creates a narrow but strong current back out into the lake, and anyone caught in that rip current will be carried out with it.
The best, sometimes the only way, to escape a rip current is to let it take you out until it weakens, then swim parallel to the beach, find an area clear of the rip current, and swim back to shore. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), rip currents can move up to eight feet per second, “faster than an Olympic swimmer and can easily overpower a victim.”
NOAA advises individuals always to swim at lifeguard-protected beaches, never to swim alone, and to speak to on-duty lifeguards about rip currents and other expected water hazards.
The National Weather Service office in the Chicago region, which includes Northwest Indiana, has begun to issue rip-current outlooks, and at 10:50 a.m. Tuesday advised of an increased risk of rip currents along the Lake Michigan shoreline through the evening. Visit its website at www.crh.noaa.gov/lot

Commissioners get no bids for winter road salt
The Porter County Commissioners were scheduled Tuesday to open bids for road salt for this winter, but there was one big problem: No one submitted a bid.
County Highway Supervisor Al Hoagland said this is the first time that he’s aware of that the county didn’t get any salt bids. A number of municipalities in the region are facing the same dilemma.
Hoagland said the counties or municipalities that have gotten salt bids have seen the costs skyrocket. In Lake County, the bids came in at $110 per ton, up from the typical $34 or so per ton, he said.
Low supplies are being blamed for the refusal among suppliers to lock into a price. But Hoagland noted that just because no one has bid doesn’t mean they won’t sell the salt later.
Porter County has some salt stockpiled from last year and is looking into alternatives other than its customary untreated rock salt. But Hoagland said some alternatives are problematic, such as magnesium chloride, which can be corrosive to brakes on vehicles.
Hoagland said he’s not yet sure what will happen.
“I have confidence you guys are going to figure this out,” said County Commissioner President Robert Harper. Responded Hoagland: “Pray for good weather.”

Commissioners restore comp time for county workforce
By VICKI URBANIK
In keeping with the policy shift now underway at the county’s budget hearings, the Porter County Commissioners on Tuesday reinstated compensatory time for all county employees.
Effective on or about Sept. 1, county employees will be granted paid days off for working more than their standard work week, which in most cases is a 35-hour week. The new policy applies to all county departments.
Under the new policy, employees will be asked to take their comp time in the first pay period that the hours accumulated, but they will have up to four pay periods to do so.
The policy was prompted by the Porter County Council, which is in the process of eliminating all overtime pay in next year’s budgets. Overtime costs have been soaring ever since February, when the council and commissioners agreed to ban comp time because some employees racked up an excessive amount of time off -- in some cases, two months or so.
The new policy attempts to prevent excessive comp time by imposing a timeframe for employees to use up their hours.
County Attorney Gwenn Rinkenberger said the new policy doesn’t address overtime, but noted that if there is no money for overtime, the issue is moot.
She also that it will be up to each department to monitor the comp time as it accumulates. Any hours not used up in the first pay period will roll over into the next, and any comp time accumulated in that second pay period will roll over into the next period if not used.
The former policy didn’t include a time restriction, but it did attempt to cap the hours accumulated, though county officials have said this provision was often not enforced. The new policy does not include language capping the hours.
In another matter, the commissioners passed a policy stating that employees at the Porter County Animal Shelter will be cross-trained to cover each others’ duties. Commissioner President Robert Harper said that’s been the practice at the shelter in the recent past, but that the policy puts that in writing.

Cat is the star as animal shelter debate resumes at Commissioners meeting
By VICKI URBANIK
Critics and supporters of the changes at the Porter County Animal Shelter publicly hashed it out Tuesday, and, after trading catty accusations and biting barbs, they may have ended on a more conciliatory note than when they began.
The Porter County Commissioners agreed to hear public input about the animal shelter amid criticism ever since they disbanded the former animal welfare board and took over direct control of the shelter. Since then, the shelter’s goal has been to increase adoptions and no longer euthanize adoptable animals.
The commissioners – and in particular, Commissioner President Robert Harper – were both praised and vilified for their actions Tuesday.
Of the 10 people who spoke, three were clearly angered by the new approach, while most of the others were clearly grateful. But more than a few speakers agreed that disputes have gotten out of hand, becoming too emotional, petty, or politically motivated.
Perhaps the highlight of the night came when a young cat was brought into the room during a recess. This was the same cat whose photo was posted online by a shelter critic who argued that it was inhumane to keep alive the badly injured kitten, which had an eyeball popping out. But the cat was treated, adopted and on Tuesday, appeared quite healthy.
Among those who questioned the new direction at the animal shelter was former volunteer Delbert “Frank” Herschberger , who asked a variety of questions about why prison inmates are working at the shelter, how a donations fund is being used, and why the current shelter director, Judy Bonaventura, doesn’t live in Porter County.
Another speaker, Lynnann Moore, a former animal welfare board member, praised the commissioners for taking the shelter in “a new and positive direction.”
In the past, she said, there was no accountability, questioning how the shelter could justify euthanizing non-feral kittens on the grounds that they were vicious. Critics of the shelter, she said, are playing politics and spreading falsehoods.
But one of those critics, Dr. Mary Ann Sheller, former president of the animal welfare board, said she and others are being wrongly painted as evil doers. She said the shelter has become overcrowded and that it’s manipulating the statistics on the number of adoptions. She cited in particular how 32 shelter animals were taken to a organization that euthanizes.
“It’s apparently ‘no-kill’ as long as it’s in our county,” she said.
But her comment was rejected as a falsehood by Larry Rogers, Harper’s law partner and husband of Jocelyn Rogers, who has formed a non-profit organization supporting the animal shelter.
Rogers said he knows firsthand that the animals weren’t taken to a kill shelter—since he’s the one who transported the animals himself. He said they were taken to an anti-cruelty agency that does free spay and neuters.
Another shelter supporter was Gale Carmoda, a board member of the no-kill Independent Cat Society. She said that last year, the animal shelter had a county-funded budget of only $500 for veterinarian expenses, and because of that, many animals didn’t get the medical care they needed but were instead euthanized.
She offered to the commissioners the ICS’ expertise and other help. “We are more than 100 percent behind you,” she said.
One tense moment came when speaker Laura Nelson refused to stop reading her lengthy prepared statement after eight minutes, twice as long as the commissioners gave other speakers. Nelson was highly critical of the current shelter, claiming that the commissioners violated the law by disbanding the animal board.
“I will not surrender the floor,” she said, when asked to stop speaking. That prompted Porter County Sheriff Dave Lain to approach Nelson. Lain said that if she were to read her entire document, it would “take all night.” But Nelson refused and kept reading over Lain’s attempts. Harper then called a recess in the meeting.
Commissioners Respond
North Porter County Commissioner John Evans said practically everyone involved wants to do the right thing for animals. He said it’s time for everyone who wants to help to work together. “We need to bury the hatchet,” he said.
Evans also said that while euthanizations are sometimes necessary and merciful, he thinks a no-kill shelter for adoptable animals is admirable. He also said the past problems at the shelter were “horrific” and that the criticisms have now snowballed.
South County Commissioner Carole Knoblock questioned why some of the critics are just now raising concerns, when the shelter had more problems in the past. “I think some of your complaints are uncalled for,” she said.
Harper gave the lengthiest response, first by clarifying misstatements about the donation fund that has hit $87,000. He said that in the past, the fees from adoptions disappeared into the county’s general fund, and that the shelter tapped its donation fund for veterinary bills. Now, he said, the fees are being used for medical care, while the donations are going toward food and other benefits for the animals.
Harper also addressed some of the criticism about the commissioners’ plans to build a new building for the animal shelter. He said the purpose of the building isn’t to warehouse more animals but to provide more space to replace cages that are too small and an inadequate holding area for vicious dogs.
He also said he’s sure the animal shelter will make mistakes, and that people who want to find a mistake will find one. But he also said that overall, the shelter is improving, increasing its adoptions, replacing decrepit cages, trying to solve other long-ignored problems, and getting animals treatment they need.
He asked the shelter’s critics to give the commissioners time to make the shelter work well.
“Let’s have this discussion a year from now,” he said.

Duneland Schools honors years of service at opening day event
Duneland School Corporation hosted their annual Opening Day event for teachers and support staff at Chesterton High School Auditorium on Monday.
Teachers and support staff serving the Corporation for 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years were honored at the event.
Those receiving 20 year awards were: Diane Redlarczyk, assistant cashier at Chesterton Middle; Kay Sopata, secretary at Liberty Intermediate; Sandra Carney, teacher at Jackson Elementary; Barry Reed, teacher at Liberty Intermediate; Richard Piechnik, teacher at Liberty Intermediate; Keith Anderson, custodian at Liberty Intermediate; Mary Buckman, counselor at Yost Elementary; Helen Hogan, teacher at Yost Elementary; Debra Imhof, teacher at Yost Elementary School; Pam Evans, bus aide; and Char Vawter, assistant to transportation director.
For 25 years: Pauline Gotch, secretary at IMC; Treva Puglisi, corporation secretary; Nancy Beavers, secretary at Jackson Elementary School; and Maureen Eckert, bus driver.
For 30 years: Maria Bachuchin, teacher at Bailly Elementary; Cindy Kelly, teacher at Bailly Elementary; Robert Ted Woolever, teacher at Chesterton High; Mara Becking, teacher at Chesterton Middle; Barbara Reed, teacher at Jackson Elementary; Henry Matthys, teacher at Liberty Intermediate; Bonnie Ricard, bus driver; Michele Stipanovich, WDSO instructional aide at Chesterton High; Madge Kollar, title I aide at Yost Elementary
For 35 years: Jane Pearson, teacher at Brummitt Elementary; Karen Leonard, secretary at Chesterton High; Donna Whitenack, teacher at Chesterton High; Dan Garwood, teacher at Chesterton Middle; Roger Sargent, teacher at Chesterton Middle School; James Ton, principal at Chesterton Middle; Tom Trzeciak, teacher at Chesterton Middle; Paul Wilson, teacher at Chesterton Middle; Elaine M. Shumway, teacher at Liberty Intermediate; Don Justak, teacher at Westchester Intermediate; Connie Hamilton, teacher at Yost Elementary School.
For 40 years: Larry Bol, teacher at Yost Elementary; Bonnie Gaston, Corp. treasurer and business manager; and Michael Grubb, principal of Bailly Elementary.
Also honored for her 20 and 25 year awards was Mary Jo Keck, teacher at Yost Elementary who was inadvertently omitted from the list in previous years. This year marks Keck's 26th year.

Bus ridership rising in Duneland as gas prices soar
By PAULENE POPARAD
High fuel prices prompted more Duneland Schools students to take the bus last year's second semester, and administrators believe that trend will continue into the new school year, which opened today.
Assistant superintendent David Pruis said some Chesterton High School students have opted to leave their personal vehicles at home, and parents who formerly drove their children to various schools now do not. "The price at the pump helps impact the number of youngsters that ride the big yellow buses," advised Pruis.
One route was added and larger buses shifted to accomodate higher-demand areas, and in 2009 an $82,000 increase to $692,018 is proposed for bus replacement with at least six to be purchased. Typically buses are retired as new ones arrive but if demand holds some buses will remain in the fleet, which numbers 83.
Duneland superintendent Dirk Baer said recent enrollment is up slightly with more admissions anticipated; the full effect won't be known until a required student census is taken Sept. 12.
Duneland business manager Bonnie Gaston said so far administrators have been able to offset the rising cost of fuel and utilities in the tentative 2008 budget, but how those numbers shake out is far from final.
The last time Duneland School Corp. truly knew what its approved budget contained was Dec. 28, 2007 when the state certified that year's spending plan with three days to spare.
So far no budget has been approved for 2008 yet the Duneland School Board, like every other Porter County government unit, is required to prepare a 2009 budget now. Voting 5-0 Tuesday the School Board OK'd an estimated total budget next year of $66,726,585 for all funds and set a public hearing on it Sept. 2.
That figure is 6.28 percent above the total budget advertised for 2008 and includes the general fund, which finances the bulk of operations and expenses. At $40,180,395 the general fund estimates a projected increase of $1.47 million or approximately 3.8 percent more than advertised this year.
Pruis said he's been advised by state tax officials to decrease the district's 2007 assessed valuation of $2.6 billion to $1.8 billion to keep the tax rate up, a move other school corporations are making as well, he said. According to Baer, "All budgets are being advertised high and that's being done purposely. Everything that's being done is for the protection of the school system."
Duneland's approved 2007 tax rate was just under $1.42 per each $100 of assessed valuation, and the new rate could end up about $1.40 for all funds --- maybe.
With Indiana's new property-tax caps beginning to phase in next year and the state taking over financing of public schools' general funds as of Jan. 1, "There are more questions than answers," said Pruis. Baer said it's an unknown whether the state will collect enough revenue to cover the obligations it's taken on.
Pruis also said debt service is increased to just over $9 million to include interest on temporary loans while awaiting delayed tax distributions, as well as approximately $1.5 million in repayment on state loans made to Duneland Schools following Bethlehem Steel's unexpected 2001 bankruptcy, sale and non-payment of taxes. The steelmaker since was purchased by ArcelorMittal.
In addition to increases in the general, bus replacement and debt service funds the 2009 budget pushes the proposed $11.4 million capital projects fund closer to the maximum allowable rate in order to address facility needs, equipment and ongoing technology efforts. Just over $1 million is budgeted there for energy-savings upgrades at six schools, and more than $1.37 million in overall instruction-related technology upgrades and related spending.
A special-education fund of $175,000 is earmarked for the federally mandated program serving Duneland's eligible 3 and 4 year-olds, most at the Porter County Education Cooperative. A separate school transportation fund is set at $3.5 million and a bond debt service for retirement/severance at $1.6 million.
School Board reacts
School Board members expressed the same frustration voiced by local government officials across Porter County over the state's tardy approval of annual budgets.
Coupled with having to develop a new budget, "It's like throwing darts on a board," said School Board member Janice Custer. Added Pruis, "In a room with no lights."
Board member Michael Trout said the whole budgeting process is disturbing to him. "The public schools take a lot of hits but we get no help at the state level. If anyone tried to run a business like this, we'd be out of business." The board is forced to make educated guestimates and the public expects and deserves better than that, he noted, saying the board needs to make its displeasure known to state legislators.
Pruis said the administration prefers to be more realistic than guess but at this stage some estimating is necessary. He said although two-thirds of the budgets have been approved for 2008 there's no indication when Duneland's will be, however, if cuts are ordered specific areas are ready to be reduced.
Staff changes approved
By unanimous vote the board approved the following appointments: Jodie Eubanks, lunch/recess aide, Westchester Intermediate; Kim Ratajec, Kindergarten teacher, Jackson/Liberty Elementary schools; Marquita White, 1st Grade teacher, Jackson Elementary; Katie Wright, 4th Grade teacher, Bailly Elementary; Deanna Heslin, 2nd Grade, Bailly; Nicole Bell, 4th Grade, Liberty Elementary; Michelle Hoover and Mary Acton, Title 1 aides, Bailly; Michelle Condi, remediation aide, Bailly; Kelly Schuster, Title 1 aide, Liberty Elementary; Lauren West, 5th Grade teacher, Liberty Intermediate; and Amy Johnson, reading specialist, Liberty/Bailly elementary.
The following instructional aides were hired: Sherri Coons, Diane Brechner and Lori Adney, all Yost Elementary; Linda Ford, Amy Boren, Joni Garmany and Joan Funk, all Brummitt Elementary; and Jean Wasliewski and Tammy Reinhart, both Liberty Intermediate.
Additional aides hired were remediation aide Sarah Brenth, Title 1 aide Cindy Hodgkiss and cafeteria aide Jessi Campaniello, all Yost. Also, Diann Dunn, Lisa Gengnagel and Margaret Fanza as Title 1 aides, all Brummitt Elementary; Lindsay Darnell, remediation aide, Brummitt; and Tammy Sufana, playground aide, Bailly.
Additional personnel recommendations approved were James Moore as a technology aide at Liberty Elementary; Nancy Dubovich as an instructional aide at Westchester Intermediate; and T. R. Harlan as supervisor for the In-School Alternative Class Placement program at Chesterton High School for the 2008-09 school year.

EPA Porter County among 19 that violate pollution standard for soot
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Federal officials intend to declare 19 Indiana counties — including Porter and Lake — in violation of a new standard for tiny soot particles that can cause respiratory distress in children and the elderly.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that 19 Indiana counties are among 215 counties in 25 states it plans to list as violating the new standard for pollution particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers — one-30th the diameter of a human hair.
Those tiny particles lodge in people’s lungs and blood vessels and are a major contributor to respiratory problems, especially in children, the elderly and people with existing illnesses.
Counties that don’t meet national outdoor air quality standards are called nonattainment areas. The EPA said it intends to settle on its final soot nonattainment list by Dec. 18.
Counties included on that list would face pressure to cut levels of microscopic soot produced by power plants, diesel-burning trucks, cars and factories.
In an earlier request to EPA officials, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management had recommended that just five Indiana counties — Knox, Lake, Marion, Tippecanoe and Vanderburgh — be listed as nonattainment of the new, more protective 24-hour soot standard.
IDEM spokesman Rob Elstro said Tuesday that the agency hopes the EPA removes some of the Indiana counties from its final list.
“IDEM is cautiously optimistic that the effective final ... designations in the spring of 2009 will not include as many counties as today’s preliminary designations. Moni-toring data shows that Indiana’s air quality continues to improve,” Elstro said in a statement.
The EPA said in 1997 that cutting fine-particle pollution would save 15,000 people a year from premature deaths due to heart and lung diseases aggravated by soot-filled air.
Tim Maloney, senior policy director for the Hoosier Environmental Council, said the 19 counties are mainly the same counties that were on the EPA’s fine particle nonattainment list under its previous standard.
But he said Knox and Tippecanoe counties — in largely rural areas of southwestern and north-central Indiana — are new to the updated list and that raises questions about what factors are behind those counties’ inclusion on the EPA’s proposed list.
“We’ll want to look and see what the difference is and whether we should be more conservative and include even more counties,” Maloney said. “There are very real and serious health effects from these particles.”
The new standard is important because it takes into account growing concerns about short-term exposure to fine particles that can lodge deep in the lungs, said Janet McCabe, executive director of Improving Kids’ Environment, an Indianapolis nonprofit working to reduce environmental threats to children’s health.
“There’s more and more health evidence suggesting that short-term exposure to fine particles can really have a health impact,” she said. “Just standing on the sidewalk, breathing in exhaust for a few minutes can impact your health.”
The 19 Indiana counties listed by the EPA are: Clark, Dearborn, Dubois, Floyd, Gibson, Hamilton, Hendricks, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lake, Marion, Morgan, Pike, Porter, Spencer, Tippecanoe, Vanderburgh and Warrick.

CHS Boys Tennis opens season with win
By TR HARLAN
Whatever Chesterton boys tennis coach Mike Stiles said -- Sean Harmison and Kevin Kokesh believed him.
Trailing 0-3 in the third and deciding set at No. 1 doubles with the match tied at 2-all, Harmison and Kokesh delivered by winning six straight games and giving Chesterton a 3-2 opening night victory over Highland.
“We tried to talk to them after the second set about going out and playing like they were the better team,” Stiles said. “We get down 0-3. We talked to them again and told them to take some pace off their returns, just get them in.
“We told them to keep their heads up and it worked.”
The most noticeable difference came in Harmison’s two service games.
“Sean went with his second serve for both games he served,” Stiles said. “It was a very smart decision. It made the other team make some mistakes.”
Six games later, CHS had its first win of the season.
“It’s a nice way to start the season,” Stiles said. “I knew this would be a challenging match. It’s a good one for our first match because it lets us know where we are and what we need to work on.”
Chesterton also picked up a victory at No. 2 doubles as Ben Andrews and Manhar Grewal beat Nick Pilja and Daniel Cebulski.
“They really had no problems,” Stiles said. “They played well.”
The third point of the night came at No. 3 singles as Kyle Grassel beat Danny Morgan 6-1, 6-3.
“Kyle, in his first varsity match, looked like a veteran,” Stiles said. “Although he doesn’t have any varsity tennis experience, I think his golf experience really helps. He played consistently, getting the ball back and letting his opponent make the mistakes.”

Chesterton 3, Highland 2
AT CHESTERTON
Singles -- 1. Phil Kubisz (H) def. Dylan Harmison 6-4, 6-2; 2. Ricky Schwartz (H) def. Tyler Talsma 7-5, 6-3; 3. Kyle Grassel (C) def. Danny Morgan 6-1, 6-3.
Doubles -- 1. Sean Harmison/Kevin Kokesh (C) def. Seth Peters/Zach Garcia 4-6, 6-4, 6-3; 2. Ben Andrews/Mahar Grewal (C) def. Nick Pilja/Daniel Cebulski.
Record -- Chesterton 1-0, Highland 0-1.

Junior Varsity
The Chesterton junior varsity tennis team had little trouble in its season opener with a 5-0 shutout of Highland.
Singles winners included Scott Homner (No. 1), Siva Muthusamy (No. 2) and Alex Hanson (No. 3). Doubles winners were Alexander Buff/Ankur Chawla (No. 1) and Justin Marshall-Ben Mullin (No. 2).

Chesterton 5, Highland 0
AT CHESTERTON
Singles -- 1. Scott Homner (C) def. Matty Hodge 8-1; 2. Siva Muthusamy (C) def. Brandon Heacock 8-2; 3. Alex Hanson (C) def. Mike Oliver 8-1.
Doubles -- 1. Alexander Buff/Ankur Chawla (C) def. Matty Hodge/Brandon Heacock 6-0; 2. Justin Marshall/Ben Mullin (C) def. Brandon Heacock/Mike Oliver 6-0.
Records -- Chesterton 1-0, Highland 0-1.

Trojan Volleyball wins opener with sweep of Hammond Morton
The Chesterton volleyball team opened up its 2008 campaign with a straight-set 25-8, 25-17, 25-15 victory over Hammond Morton Tuesday night at CHS.
The Trojans jumped on top in game one with an early 8-1 lead and built from there. The big run late was on the serving arm of senior Andrea Levrio who served nine straight points, including three aces, to end the game.
In game two, Morton tied the score at 13-all before Chesterton ended the set with a 12-4 run for a two games to none lead. Game three also saw the Trojans get a lead and build on it.
On the night, senior MaryBeth Ryan led the team offensively with nine kills, while classmates Emily Mozwecz had six and Abby Skube had five. Senior Morgan Palombizio had four kills to go along with 10 assists and a team-high six service aces.
Junior Michelle Fekete also had four kills, with junior setter Kathleen Maple dishing out 11 assists.
Defensively, Lindsey Hutnick and Colleen DeHenes each had four digs, while Ryan and Mozwecz added three each. Ryan also had two block kills with Skube and Palombizio each adding one.

Chesterton 25-25-25, Hammond Morton 8-17-15
AT CHESTERTON
Chesterton -- Jessica Peterson 1 dig; Taylor Chamberlalin 1 kills, 2 digs; Shelby Richardson 2 digs; Shelbie Sullivan 5 assists; Kathleen Maple 11 assists; Andrea Levrio 3 service aces, 2 digs; Abby Skube 5 kills, 1 block kill; Lindsey Hutnick 4 digs; Emily Mozwecz 6 kills, 3 digs; Claire Holba 2 kills; Colleen DeHenes 4 digs; Morgan Palombizio 4 kills, 10 assists, 6 service aces; MaryBeth Ryan 9 kills, 3 digs, 2 block kills; Michelle Fekete 4 kills, 2 digs.
Hammond Morton -- Kelsey Barta 5 assists, 3 kills; Natalie Castillo 1 service ace; Katie Kavanaugh 5 digs; Kristen Kenney 6 digs, 2 kills; Ashley Miles 5 digs; Carolina Salazar 6 digs.
Records -- Chesterton 1-0, Hammond Morton 0-1.

Junior Varsity
Chesterton 25-25,
Hammond Morton 13-15
The Chesterton junior varsity volleyball team put together late runs in each game to pull out a 25-13, 25-15 victory over Hammond Morton.
Alexis Zimmer led the offense with four kills, while Riley Taubert and Nikki Crawford each had three kills. Katie Povlinski and Brittany Funk each tallied two kills.
Katie Osborn led the team with six assists and Kate Nowak had four assists.
Defensively, Alyssa Ham had a team-best eight digs, while Zimmer added seven. Osborn, Nowak and Mary Carr each had four digs.

Freshmen
Chesterton 25-25,
Hammond Morton 14-18
The Chesterton freshmen volleyball team also picked up an opening night victory with a 25-14, 25-18 victory over the Governors.
Michaela Raffin led the team offensively with six kills, while Elaina Gerlach and Lydia Gill each had five kills. Korelle Melcarek, Emily Nugnis and Kathleen Sheeran all had three kills.
Melcarek also dished out a team-high 13 assists with Lauren Kenney passing out nine assists. Melcarek also had five service aces, while Kenney and Gill had three each.
Defensively, Nora Schultz, Raffin and Nugnis all had nine digs. Gill had four digs with Melcarek and Nicole Kogler tallying three digs each.

CHS Boys Soccer ties Boone Grove in opener
The Chesterton boys soccer team had some chances against Boone Grove Tuesday night in the season opener for both teams, but couldn’t find the net and walked away with a 0-0 tie.
“A tie in soccer always feels like a loss,” Chesterton coach Jamie Sensibaugh said. “But, our kids played hard and fought through the adversity of having to adjust to new positions.”
The Trojans got a few good looks in front of the net against Boone Grove goalie Trevor Spangenberg, but didn’t put the ball away.
“Last year we had difficulty scoring on Spangenberg, who is easily one of the best keepers in the area and Boone Grove did a really good job of containing our offense and keeping us from getting a lot of scoring opportunities,” Sensibaugh said.
“We did have a couple good looks that had a chance to find the net, but we just couldn’t execute especially on a couple of dangerous balls in front of the net off corners and a couple we missed with our head over the cross bar.”
Chesterton also played without several players including Mark Gore and Chris Robinson due to injury.
“We really missed a number our players who are out with injuries,” Sensibaugh said. “We need all those guys to balance our attack and give us the combinations we need in our midfield connecting to our strikers on top.”
The Trojans don’t return to the field until next Monday when they travel to EC Central for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff.
“On the bright side, we played really well at moments in the game but we need to learn how to play like that more consistently as the season progresses,” Sensibaugh said. “The next week gives the opportunity to heal and get healthy so that we can prepare for the beginning of conference play.”

Chesterton 0, Boone Grove 0
AT CHESTERTON
Chesterton -- Alec Houpt 4 saves.
Boone Grove -- Trevor Spangenberg 7 saves.
Records -- Chesterton 0-0-1, Boone Grove 0-0-1.

Junior Varsity
Chesterton 3, Boone Grove 0
The Chesterton junior varsity soccer team started its 2008 season with a 3-0 victory over Boone Grove.
The solid defense of Jordan Garza, Mac Green and Ray Orlowski allowed only two shots on goal.
After a scoreless first half, the Trojans came out energized in the second half.
Putting the ball in the back of the net for the Trojans were John Morris, Evan Coudriet and Michael Anderson.
Jordan Napier each had one assist.

Olympics TV Schedule and Scores
By The Associated Press
(All times Eastern)
(Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts)
Wednesday, Aug. 20

OLYMPICS
5 a.m.
MSNBC — LIVE: softball, Bronze Medal game; men's volleyball, quarterfinals; SAME-DAY TAPE: baseball, U.S. vs. Japan; women's hockey, semifinals; wrestling, freestyle: 66kg and 74kg Gold Medal finals; table tennis; men's handball, quarterfinals, at Beijing
8 a.m.
TELEMUNDO — Men's beach volleyball, semifinals; gymnastics, individual event Gold Medal finals, at Beijing (same-day tape)
10 a.m.
NBC — LIVE: men's volleyball, quarterfinals; SAME-DAY TAPE: women's diving, platform, at Beijing
5 p.m.
CNBC — Boxing, 51kg and 75kg quarterfinals, at Beijing (same-day tape)
6 p.m.
OXY — Synchronized swimming, duet Gold Medal finals; gymnastics, at Beijing (same-day tape)
8 p.m.
NBC — SAME-DAY TAPE: track & field Gold Medal finals, men's: 200m; women's: 400m hurdles; gymnastics, gala; LIVE: women's beach volleyball, Gold Medal match; cycling, BMX Gold Medal finals, at Beijing
12 Mid.
CNBC — Women's track & field, 20k walk, at Beijing (same-day tape)
TELEMUNDO — Events TBA, at Beijing
12:35 a.m.
NBC — LIVE: women's volleyball, semifinals; DELAYED TAPE: women's track & field, hammer throw Gold Medal finals; women's diving, platform semifinals, at Beijing
2 a.m.
TELEMUNDO — Track & field, Gold Medal finals; women's diving, platform competition, semifinals, at Beijing (delayed tape)
USA — LIVE: women's soccer, Gold Medal match; softball, Gold Medal game; DELAYED TAPE: women's beach volleyball, Bronze Medal match; men's swimming, marathon; LIVE: canoeing, semifinals; DELAYED TAPE: women's table tennis, quarterfinals; men's table tennis, at Beijing

Wednesday's Olympic Scores
Baseball
Cuba 17, China 1, 7 innings
South Korea 10, Netherlands 0, 8 innings
BASKETBALL
Men
Quarterfinals
Spain 72, Croatia 59
Lithuania 94, China 68
FIELD HOCKEY
Women
Ninth Place
South Korea 2, Japan 1
Seventh Place
Spain 3, United States 2
Semifinals
China 3, Germany 2
SOFTBALL
Semifinals
United States 4, Japan 1
Australia 5, Canada 3
TEAM HANDBALL
Men
Quarterfinals
France 27, Russia 24
Iceland 32, Poland 30
Croatia 26, Denmark 24
VOLLEYBALL
Men
Quarterfinals
Russia 3, Bulgaria 1 (20-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-21)
Italy 3, Poland 2 (25-19, 25-22, 18-25, 26-28, 17-15)
WATER POLO
Italy 13, Canada 11
Greece 13, China 8
Montenegro 7, Croatia 6

1:51 PM 8/20/2008