Don’t.

Don’t put your gloves in the drawer, don’t switch out your winter coat for a lighter one, don’t stop running a trickle from your faucet, don’t store your snow shovel in the basement.

More important than any of that advice: Don’t give up on spring. Just don’t expect it quite yet.

A wind chill advisory is in effect for LaPorte County and much of the area through most of Wednesday. Wind chills of 10 to 20 below are predicted, and some snow is also expected throughout the remainder of this week.

For more information, click on the following link:

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=LaPorte&state=IN&site=IWX&textField1=41.6106&textField2=-86.7225&e=0#.Uw1rEvn4dbH

LaPorte Police suspect a drug overdose in the death of a 21-year-old LaPorte man found Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014.

Police were called to Travelodge, 438 Pine Lake Ave., Tuesday afternoon to check on the welfare of a guest who had failed to check out. Police found the young man’s body in the room and also discovered drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Police did not release the man’s name.

The LaPorte City Fire Department is accepting applications for employment for firefighter positions.

Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and under 36 years of age as of May 1, 2014, and a high school graduate or equivalent.

Applications may be picked up at Fire Station No. 1, 809 W. 18th St., LaPorte. All applications must be returned by noon on March 22, 2014, to Fire Station No. 1. Applications are limited, so any interested party should apply as soon as possible.

Any person who was a previous applicant must reapply, as the current firefighter eligibility list will expire April 30, 2014.

Mr. Christopher C. Pieschala, 41, of LaPorte, died Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014, at his home in LaPorte.

He was born Aug. 17, 1972, in Grovetown, GA.

Christopher was employed as an IT tech in Chicago. He received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force after serving for five years during Desert Storm and in Okinawa, Japan. He was a fourth degree black belt of Tae Kwon Do. Christopher was a loving father and loved spending time with his daughter.

He is survived by his parents, Carl B. Johnson of LaPorte, and Diana (Travis) Johnson of Duncan, British Columbia, Canada; daughter, Sophia Pieschala of Chicago; grandmother, Doris Eldridge of LaPorte; sister, Heidi (Andrew) Chalik of LaPorte; and niece and nephew, Victoria and Travis Chalik of LaPorte.

Christopher was preceded in death by his grandparents, Powell and Joan Travis, and grandfather, Bud Eldridge.

A memorial service will be held at Agape Christian Church, LaPorte, on Saturday, March 1, at 10 a.m. with Rev. Rodney Nielsen officiating. There will be no visitation. Cremation will take place. Haverstock Funeral Home and Cremation Services, LaPorte, is handling arrangements.

Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP, as well as at www.haverstockfuneralhome.com.

Compiled by Mary Hedge, LaPorte County Public Library

Feb. 27, 1914 – A tramp hurls a missile through the window of the United States Express Company in order to get a place for the night.

Feb. 27, 1964 – The state commission for the reorganization of school corporations approves the LaPorte County plan. Voters will give their answer on election day.

Feb. 27, 1989 – The School of the Art Institute of Chicago closed an exhibition featuring an American flag lying on the floor.

Feb. 27, 2004 – Rates paid by local taxpayers will not be affected by construction of the new Crichfield Elementary and remodeling of Kingsford Heights Elementary.

American Legion Post 297 on U.S. 20 in New Carlisle, will host a Cabin Fever Party on March 29 from 5 to 11 p.m. EST.

The evening will include raffles, tip boards, 50/50, blackjack, and table games. Food will also be available.

Basketball season is heating up, and area police are beginning a new season of high-visibility enforcement on aggressive and impaired driving.

Beginning Friday, Feb., 28, and running through March 23, officers will deploy a crackdown on dangerous and impaired driving known as “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” The 24-day blitz will occur during a number of March sporting events and the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.

Officers from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan City Police Department, LaPorte Police Department and Trail Creek Police Department will participate. An increased number of officers will be looking for impaired drivers.

“This enforcement effort is designed to show a strong, visible police presence aimed at stopping dangerous behavior and getting drunk drivers off the road,” said Captain Jon Keene, Operation Pull Over coordinator for the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office.

For many Hoosiers, the month of March is synonymous with celebrating Indiana basketball traditions and the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. But because of the increased rate of alcohol consumption associated with these events, the potential for tragedy increases. During March 2012, over 500 alcohol-related crashes occurred in Indiana; six people died. There were 33 alcohol-related crashes on St. Patrick’s Day alone.

These statistics demand attention. If you attend an event and plan on drinking, don’t drive. Plan in advance; have a designated driver.

Officers will conduct saturation patrols and other crackdown methods.

You can follow the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook for traffic safety news and event information.

Operation Pull Over is a federally funded enforcement initiative administered by the Traffic Safety division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).

The community is invited to CO-OP Shoppes, 512 State St., LaPorte, to join in its 3rd anniversary during March. The familiar red brick building on State houses a number of charming cubbies filled with antiques, collectibles, fashionable new clothing, Longaberger baskets, home decor, and jewelry, as well as Topp Skillet Cafe, offering breakfast and lunch, and Kathy’s Kuts, a full-service hair salon.

Special sales will be offered during March.

Owner Norma Mulzon said the unique shopping venue, oozing with country charm, provides vendors with a special place to sell new, used and antique items. “I just love being here,” Mulzon said.

Store hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sunday until April 1 and on Monday.

Call CO-OP Shoppes at 219-575-7535 for more information.

There’s a new talent show in town for everyone! Washington Stage Theatre Group will perform “Open Auditions” dinner theater on Sunday, March 9, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Etropal Restaurant and Lounge, corner of Monroe and Lincoln Way, LaPorte.

This dinner theater performance is about the backstage happenings at theater and screen auditions, and will be interactive with audience members. Audience members (if they wish) will be able to join the fun and “audition” in a friendly environment, in front of their friends and neighbors. Any type of act is permissible (comedians, musicians, magicians, jugglers, ventriloquists, poets, singers, etc.).

Please call ahead for 3-course dinner theater reservations at 219-575-7261 for a fun-filled evening and great food. Audience members are NOT REQUIRED to audition to enjoy the evening.

For the fifth consecutive year, La Lumiere School’s Academic Decathlon team competed in the state finals, held at Purdue University.

Students compete in the Academic Decathlon in three divisions determined by GPA: Honors Division, Scholastic Division and Varsity Division. The topic of this year’s competition was World War I and students competed in 10 events, with objective tests in seven areas (art, economics, language and literature, mathematics, music, science and social science) as well as speech, interview and essay.

Cormac Gahan of South Haven, MI, competed in the Scholastic Division and had a spectacular day, earning 1st in Interview, 2nd in Mathematics and 3rd in Music – achieving the highest score in the school’s history in Interview. Patrick Lake of LaPorte competed in the Scholastic Division and won 2nd in Mathematics and 3rd in Music. Lydia Costello of Chesterton competed in the Honors Division and won 3rd in Mathematics. Lenik Zaranski competed in Varsity Division and won 1st in Interview. Hannah Fogel of Manteno, IL, competed in the Honors Division and won 1st in Interview. Angela Mofield and Grace Dybing, both of LaPorte, also competed with the team.

The LaPorte Park and Recreation Department is holding preseason clinics for all participants registered for Cal Ripken Baseball or girls softball. The clinics start Saturday, March 1, followed by March 8 and 15, on the following schedule:

8-8:55 a.m. – Cal Ripken Rookie (ages 7-8)

9-9:55 a.m. – Cal Ripken Minor (ages 9-10)

10-10:55 a.m. – Cal Ripken Major (ages 11-12)

11-11:55 a.m. – Girls Softball – All divisions

Clinics are held on main floor of the Civic Auditorium. Participants must bring their glove and change into clean athletic shoes before reaching the gym floor. For more information, call (219) 326-9600 or contact Recreation Director Mark Schreiber at mschreiber@cityoflaporte.com.

Zacheria “Zach” A. Faiyaz, 21, of LaPorte, died unexpectedly at 12:37 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014, in LaPorte.

A funeral celebrating his life will be held at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at Lakeview Funeral Home and Crematory, LaPorte. Visitation will be from 2 p.m. until the service.

Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP, as well as at www.LakeviewFHC.com.

Tracy United Methodist Church, located on U.S. 6 just east of Kingsford Heights, will host a country breakfast on Saturday, March 29, from 7 to 11 a.m.

The menu will include scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits ‘n’ sausage gravy, potatoes, fruit, and beverage. Cost is $7 for adults and $4 for kids ages 6-12. Kids under 6 eat for free.

For more information, call the church at (219) 393-5091.

Reservations are now being taken for the bus trip to the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, a renowned genealogy research department. The trip, co-sponsored by the LaPorte County Genealogical Society in conjunction with the Michigan City Public Library, will leave the Michigan City Dunes Plaza parking lot on Wednesday, April 23, at 7 a.m., with a pickup at Kabelin’s Ace Hardware in LaPorte at 7:30 a.m.

The bus will leave the Allen County library at 4 p.m. for the return trip.

Prepaid reservations of $21 are due and payable to LaPorte County Genealogical Society, c/o Patricia Harris, 504 Greenwood Ave., Michigan City, IN 46360-5426, by April 21. For more information, call 219-872-3273.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will hold its annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on Tuesday, March 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the parish house, 708 Harrison St. The facility is handicapped accessible.

Pancakes, sausage, applesauce and beverage will be provided, with parishioners flipping the pancakes. The cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children up to 12 and free for preschoolers.

Town and Country Extension Homemakers met Feb. 13, 2014, at Round the Clock Restaurant with two guests, LaPorte County Extension President Jan Daniels and Vice President Peggy Grzesiowski.

President Betty Thomas led the Pledge of Allegiance and Homemakers Creed; roll call was answered by telling your favorite Shirley Temple movie.

Sandra Provan read the minutes of the Nov. 14, 2013, meeting, which were approved. Shirley Reinfurth gave the treasurer’s report with an unchanged balance of $81. February birthdays of Thomas, Provan and Reinfurth were recognized.

Old Business: Members contributed to funeral flowers for the late member Joyce Cook. The club’s holiday lunch was reviewed. Thomas gave the holiday council party report. The white elephant profits were enough for the council to buy two water purifications systems. She thanked Reinfurth for the napkin rings and placemats, and Shirley Doms for table runners. The food was excellent.

New Business: Members discussed a trip to Shipshewana for theater and a meal. The educational retreat is March 19; topics are Container Gardening, Nourishing Your Skin, Credit Card Knowledge, and District Rep. Connie Herrschop’s demonstration of the water filtration system. Joanna Doskocil will arrange for the club to conduct bingo at the LaPorte County Home April 15; members will donate prizes. She will complete the Volunteer and Community Support report. Doskocil attended the lesson planning meeting Feb. 12. The spring district meeting will be in Warsaw on March 26; more details to be announced.

Grzesiowski talked about program planning and Project Day and invited suggestions about what the club needs from extension.

Members agreed to donate $10 for the Coins for Friendship and Nickels for Leadership funds. At this point we have collected $15 for the Purdue Cancer Research fund, due at the spring district meeting. It was decided to continue collecting coins at meetings.

The Greater LaPorte Ministerial Association invites the community to participate in a Lenten series titled “20 Minutes with God.” The services will be held at noon on five Wednesdays: March 12, 19 and 26, and April 2 and 9.

The services will include messages from area pastors, music, prayer and a free lunch. All the services will be at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1000 Michigan Ave., LaPorte.

Speaker schedule

– March 12: Rev. Todd Lotridge (Bethany Lutheran Church)

– March 19: Rev. Thomas Kincaid (St. Paul’s Episcopal Church)

– March 26: Rev. Evan Lash (First United Methodist Church)

– April 2: Rev. Nyke Gatlin (Granger Community Church)

– April 9: Rev. Greg Irwin (Salvation Army of LaPorte)

The “20 Minutes with God” services are presented as a community outreach of the Greater LaPorte Ministerial Association. For more information, contact President Mike Sutton at 219-510-3193.

Compiled by Mary Hedge, LaPorte County Public Library

Feb. 28, 1914 – An ordinance up for adoption is the changing of the name of Main Street to Lincoln Way in LaPorte.

Feb. 28, 1964 – The Rolling Prairie Bulldogs take the Union Township Tigers 63-60 in a “barn-burner” at the boys sectional basketball tournament.

Feb. 28, 1989 – Richard M. Daley captures Chicago’s Democratic mayoral nomination to fulfill the remainder of the term of the late Harold Washington.

Feb. 28, 2004 – State lawmakers are stalled and wrangling over the gay marriage amendment.

Family and friends of Jake West, who died at age 17 in 2013, have created the Play For Jake Foundation in his memory. The foundation’s mission is to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in school-age children. “Our hope is to save lives and help prevent this tragedy from happening to other families,” reads a mission statement at www.playforjake.org.

Jake, a LaPorte High School junior, collapsed and died during a football practice at Kiwanis Field on Sept. 25, 2013, from an undetected heart condition called Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (ARVD). This disease cannot be diagnosed without proper screening and/or testing. Jake always appeared strong and healthy and participated in both the football and lacrosse programs; he showed no signs or symptoms. “This is why it is so important that we spread this awareness to help save precious lives,” the Play for Jake Foundation states on the website.

The foundation’s goals: “Create an awareness campaign to educate parents and youth about the dangers of undetected heart conditions and how to prevent sudden cardiac arrest among our youth. This campaign would provide screening and protection programs to include educational materials and funds for middle and high schools to ensure children are offered routine heart screenings for undetected heart conditions.”

Besides being an athlete, Jake is remembered for his joy for life and his kindness. He was a leader of LaPorte High School’s Kindness Campaign. “He was in the class that started it all, and he was the one who was the biggest champion of what we were trying to accomplish,” Erin, an LPHS student, says on the site. “It is because of this that I am going to do everything I can to get our entire school behind what Jake started. I don’t want it to be something we do for just a week or a month. I want these kids to live just like their friend did every single day. I want this community to follow suit.”

Contributions may be made to The Play For Jake Foundation Inc., c/o LaPorte Savings Bank, 710 Indiana Ave., LaPorte, IN 46350. Or donate online at www.playforjake.org. A 501(c)3 status is pending for the foundation.

Geraldine S. “Jeri” Fettinger, 80, of LaPorte, died at 4:16 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, at IU Health LaPorte Hospital.

She was born Nov. 13, 1933, in Princeton, IN, to George A. and Janice W. (Joplin) Reed and had lived in this area for 51 years, coming from Albion, IN.

Geraldine was a homemaker and a member of First United Methodist Church in LaPorte. She graduated from Oakland City High School in 1951 and attended Wellburn Baptist Hospital School of Nursing. She was a member of LaPorte Miriam Benedict Chapter of the DAR, Eastern Star Organization in Oakland City, IN, and Red Hat Ladies.

On Aug. 1, 1953, in Evansville, IN, she married George M. Fettinger, who preceded her in death on Sept. 21, 1995.

She was also preceded in death by one brother Joseph Reed.

She is survived by two sons, Michael M. (Mary) Fettinger of Bloomington, IN, and Miles J. (Audra) Fettinger of LaPorte; one daughter, Madelyn S. (Mark) Lynn of LaPorte; one brother, Jarvis (Barbara) Reed of Princeton, IN; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 4, at First United Methodist Church, LaPorte, with Pastor Evan Lash officiating. Visitation will be at Essling Funeral Home, LaPorte, on Monday, March 3, from 3 to 7 p.m., and at the church on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until the service. Burial will follow the service at Door Village Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to First United Methodist Church Building Fund, 1225 Michigan Ave., LaPorte, IN 46350.

Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP, as well as at www.esslingfuneralhome.com.