Pigeons on the pill; illegal grenades; Pearl Harbor remains returned
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Odd and interesting news from the Midwest.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The remains of a U.S. Navy member killed in the Pearl Harbor attack will be returned to be buried in his hometown in Kansas nearly 75 years after his death.
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Dale Pearce's remains will be flown by military escort to Tulsa on Tuesday, The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/1YJooCG ) reported.
Family members, escorted by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and local police, will take the casket to Parsons. It'll be buried Thursday in Dennis, a town of about 300 people.
"On the day Pearl Harbor happened, I was outside playing on my tricycle," said Ralph Pearce, Dale's cousin. "I remember going inside and all the folks were listening to the radio. I still remember the looks on their faces that something was wrong."
According to military records, Pearce's remains were recovered about a year after the 1941 attack. But advances in DNA technology in recent years have allowed authorities to identify remains of those deceased long ago.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency scientists used family DNA and dental comparisons to identify Pearce.
"It is a huge honor for him to be coming home and identified after all these years," said Pam Mathis, Ralph Pearce's daughter.
Dale Pearce was the youngest of 13 children, and his mother died when he was 12.
"He will be buried next to his mother," Ralph Pearce said. "My folks are buried down there. He will have a sister next to him and a couple of brothers. Our spirits are happy about it."
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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com
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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Federal prosecutors charged a former U.S. Army explosives expert on Friday with illegally possessing grenades that they said were among a cache of explosives that investigators found in his Kansas home.
John Panchalk, 42, of Overland Park was charged with one count of possessing two fragmentation grenades unregistered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Panchalk, who was arrested late Thursday after a search of his home, initially was charged by Johnson County prosecutors with one count of criminal use of explosives. But that felony was dropped Friday to give way to the federal charge.
Panchalk caught the attention of investigators Thursday when police responding to a report of a stolen vehicle at a Parkville, Missouri, self-storage site found several storage trailers vandalized, according to an affidavit by Roger Stous, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
One of them, later linked to Panchalk, contained explosives that included ammunition canisters, rocket fins, blasting caps, C-4 explosives and military grenade simulators, Stous wrote.
When investigators confronted Panchalk at his residence, authorities allege, he was evasive when asked about the trailer's contents. An ensuing search of his home by police and federal agents uncovered 38 pounds of C-4 explosive, detonation cord, blasting caps, grenade simulators, incendiary devices and the two fragmentation grenades, court filings allege.
Online court records don't show whether Panchalk has an attorney. Panchalk also is a firearms instructor at a Johnson County shooting range.
The federal felony is punishable by up to a decade in prison and a fine of as much as $250,000.
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MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Milwaukee custard shop owner with an English-only ordering policy has called off a meeting with a Latino rights group.
Ron Schneider of Leon's Frozen Custard was to meet Friday with the League of United Latin American Citizens. But the group says Schneider needed more time to meet with his attorney.
The policy became public Tuesday after a Spanish-speaking customer was told by a Spanish-speaking employee that she was only allowed to take his order in English.
Schneider said at the time that he didn't want to encourage non-English orders because it could become "a problem down the road," adding that "we can't be the United Nations."
But Leon told WTMJ-TV on Thursday he has now decided his bilingual employees can help customers in whatever language they both speak.
- BY JEROD CLAPP News and Tribune
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NEW ALBANY, Ind. (AP) — John Castrale started a recent morning with an assault from two peregrine falcons, neither of them too happy about him climbing 400 feet to their nest and taking their three babies. But all around, it was for a good cause.
Castrale, a retired Indiana Department of Natural Resources nongame bird biologist, was helping to catalog the endangered birds and cap off a two-week education program for third- and fourth-graders at Mount Tabor Elementary School, who got to name the chicks.
"It's an adrenaline rush," Castrale said. "These birds aren't too bad. There was one site where I stopped counting the hits at 40."
Duke Energy brought students, teachers and parents to the Gallagher Generating Station in New Albany to name and band the peregrine chicks for the second year in a row. One of the state's 20 nesting pairs live on one of the stacks at the plant.
The birds were classified as endangered, but rebounded to removal of the status in 1999, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service website. Castrale said peregrines have proven they can change with the times.
"You would think this is a wilderness bird, nesting in arctic regions or on cliffs," Castrale said. "But they've taken to nesting in suburban and industrial environments in tall spaces."
Carlee Smith, a fourth-grader at Mount Tabor Elementary, said she's had a lot of fun learning about the world's fastest bird, which can dive at speeds of about 200 miles per hour.
"I thought it was cool that they had been shown in old Greek and Roman paintings," Smith said. "That and how fast they can go is really cool."
The chicks — which the class named Zane, Skylar and Christian — were bigger than Smith expected, about the size of a house cat. She said it was fun to see the animals they'd spent so much time learning about.
"It's cool because you can always look at pictures, but to see them is a whole lot cooler," Smith said.
Bethany Reavis, a teacher at the school, said showing students what they're learning about can help strengthen the connection with their subject material.
"To be able to witness science in action is pretty cool, so we hope we get invited back again," Reavis said. "I feel like they're able to connect the information pretty well."
Castrale said he's been working to help peregrine falcons since 1989. While they're on the up and up, he said it's good to keep an appreciation for the animals and teach younger generations about their conservation.
"Kids these days are kind of insulated, so any kind of exposure to you can give them is good," Castrale said. "Hopefully, you have a budding ornithologist or environmentalist who will be really stimulated by something like this."
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Source: News and Tribune, http://bit.ly/1WEltgM
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Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com
This is an AP-Indiana Exchange story offered by the News and Tribune.
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EMPIRE, Mich. (AP) — Volunteers and their dogs are being sought for second year to help protect the endangered piping plover which nests along Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northwestern Michigan.
MLive.com reports (http://bit.ly/20glrKo ) Friday that orientations will be held Saturday and Tuesday for the "Bark Ranger" program.
Humans and their dogs will serve as park ambassadors, keeping other pets from getting into areas used by the piping plover. When the birds are startled by a dog, which they see as a predator, they flee their nest.
Nesting season runs to September.
Saturday's orientation is at 1 p.m. at the D. H. Day Log Cabin near Glen Arbor. The Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire will host Tuesday's 7 p.m. meeting.
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LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Business owners in La Crosse are putting pigeons on the pill — sort of.
Feeding stations atop downtown buildings include a contraceptive feed. It's aimed at lowering reproduction in the birds that leave droppings on sidewalks, awnings and park benches.
Wayne Oliver, a member of the Downtown Mainstreet Board, tells WXOW (http://bit.ly/1XnFGXb ) that it's the most successful idea the board has tried.
Maria Norberg, owner of a downtown coffee shop and food truck, says she supports anything that can cut down on the overhead threat to her customers.
Funding comes from a city beautification grant.
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Information from: WXOW-TV, http://www.wxow.com
- By RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press
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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An inmate convicted of murder in 1984 will not get a new trial even though the prosecution relied on discredited FBI bullet-matching science, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday.
Jurors probably would have found Glendale More guilty even if inaccurate FBI testimony linking a bullet in his possession to the bullets that killed the victim would have been excluded, the court ruled in a 7-0 decision.
Justices said they were troubled by the invalid science and other prosecutorial misconduct, including the failure to disclose a reward to a juvenile offender who put More at the crime scene.
"Yet ... we cannot conclude that More's trial, though flawed, was fundamentally unfair in light of the entire record, which points in the direction of More's guilt," Justice Brent Appel wrote.
More is serving a life sentence for the 1983 slaying of his girlfriend, Wauneita Townsend, who was found shot to death in her car outside a Davenport car dealership. Now 73, More lives at the Fort Dodge Correctional Institution.
He filed for post-conviction relief in 2007 after the FBI disavowed compositional bullet-lead analysis, which it had used in thousands of cases. The technique used chemistry to try to link bullets found at crime scenes to others in the possession of suspects, based on their elemental characteristics. The FBI stopped using the technique in 2005 after a scientific review concluded that it was unreliable.
At More's trial, prosecutors argued that bullets recovered from Townsend's head and car were a match for a bullet found in More's pocket days later. A nurse found the bullet on More at a psychiatric unit, where he was placed after exhibiting bizarre behavior in the hours after Townsend's death.
An FBI agent implied in testimony that all three bullets must have come from the same box of cartridges. A defense expert countered that the FBI's interpretation of the science was not supported by forensic chemists.
But a prosecutor told jurors in his closing argument that the FBI had been using the technique for a long time and the agent was confident when he testified "the bullets match."
In 2009, the FBI acknowledged the testimony in More's case "exceeds the limits of the science and cannot be supported."
Justice Appel wrote that the FBI's disavowal of the technique amounts to new evidence but that it probably wouldn't have changed the outcome. He cited strong circumstantial evidence against More, including that he was with Townsend minutes before her death at a grocery store and that she had been planning to leave him. More was struggling financially and was a beneficiary on Townsend's recently-acquired life insurance policy.
"More certainly had motive, he had the means, he was at the right place at the right time, and his behavior generally and repeatedly points in the direction of guilt," Appel wrote.
It was the third time courts have found fault with More's prosecution, but declined to order relief.
The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled in 1985 that prosecutors violated the doctor-patient privilege by calling the nurse and a psychiatrist to testify, but that those were harmless errors.
The appeals court ruled in 1999 that prosecutors failed to disclose evidence that they offered a 13-year-old offender a $350 reward for his testimony, but that also was deemed harmless. The witness testified that he was at the dealership looking for a car to steal when he heard two gunshots and saw More trying to set Townsend's car on fire. The witness recanted his testimony years later, but a judge called the recantation "completely incredible."
Appel said those errors "undermine confidence in our system of justice."
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HOLLAND, Mich. (AP) — A college soccer field with one goal in the western Michigan city of Holland and the other officially located in an adjoining township is getting united.
The Holland Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/1ODmoq3 ) most of the field at Hope College's Van Andel Soccer Stadium was in Holland, but a portion including one goal was in Ottawa County's Holland Township.
Township Supervisor Terry Nienhuis noted: "I don't know if there's any player that's confused by that." Still, the communities agreed this week that the township's portion would become part of the city.
Hope College initially brought the request to the township and the school agreed to pay any legal costs for the transaction. The township notes that having the property all in one community simplifies regulations and planning for any future uses.
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Information from: The Holland Sentinel, http://www.thehollandsentinel.com
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JACKSON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio minister convicted of sexually assaulting a juvenile and an adult who were members of his congregation and another juvenile has been sentenced to life in prison.
The state attorney general's office says 67-year-old Dennis Wright was sentenced Thursday in southern Ohio's Jackson County after a jury found him guilty this week of multiple charges.
Wright, who ministered a small congregation near Oak Hill, was convicted of seven counts of rape, two counts of sexual battery, two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, and three counts of gross sexual imposition. He had denied the charges.
Prosecutors claimed the minister used his position of authority to target vulnerable victims who trusted him.
He won't be eligible for parole until he is well over 100 years old.
- By TAYLOR NACHTIGAL Post-Bulletin
ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — A couple years ago, Riverside Elementary School added a school-wide breakfast program. Now about 75 percent of students eat breakfast in their classrooms each morning.
"If they're hungry at 9 a.m., they're not going to stop worrying about it throughout the day," said Riverside Principal Jacque Peterson.
Collecting data on students has revealed patterns like this — sometimes they act out at certain times of day because they're hungry and can't focus. The idea behind providing breakfast is to meet students' basic needs so they can focus on learning, the Post-Bulletin (http://bit.ly/1OQbYJd ) reported.
Peterson said since the program began, they've seen fewer discipline issues, especially in the morning. Districtwide, the breakfast program has expanded to 12 schools, Superintendent Michael Muñoz said at the May 3 school board meeting.
While discipline problems have always existed in schools, district officials are looking for answers in a new way — through collecting data.
Many think this type of data tracking will provide answers and allow educators to start identifying and addressing the root problem for students who have behavioral issues.
According to a Minnesota Department of Education report, Black and American Indian students were disproportionately disciplined in the state's public schools. Black students make up 12 percent of the population, but are involved in 38 percent of disciplinary actions taken — that's about three times their population.
American Indian students are overrepresented by four times their population. They make up 2 percent of the population, but account for 8 percent of disciplinary actions.
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It's this trend that is apparent statewide, and in Rochester, that caused RPS to hire Principal Afolabi Runsewe following the OCR agreement. Runsewe oversees PBIS efforts and tracks and reviews student discipline with each of the district's schools.
At weekly meetings district leaders discuss trends in behavior, where those behaviors occur, like the physical rooms and spaces and what behaviors look like in different locations, especially for categories that are considered subjective. For example, what does defiance look like — does it happen in the classroom? Does it happen in the hallways?
Districts are required to track and report data through the Minnesota Department of Education, through a system called disciplinary incident reporting system, or DIRS. The district reports the behavior, the action taken by the district and demographic information of the student.
"We are in a new era of looking towards the data to improve our systems, specifically our public education systems," said Josh Crosson, an advocacy manager with MinnCAN, a state education advocacy group.
Data review groups meet weekly at all of Rochester's public schools to talk about specific students, but also to address overall issues like discipline disparities. This is a major component of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, and a growing trend statewide.
The hope is that the data will lead to answers — answers that show in what types of classes and environments students are misbehaving, or what times of day they're having problems.
"The best way is to look at the data and see where resources are required," Crosson said.
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Statewide, groups like MinnCAN advocated for bills that would require an increase in data collection this legislative session, on the specifics of day-to-day student behavior, but also on suspensions, expulsions and other classroom removals. While many districts collect and report this information back to the state now, MinnCAN hopes the data will be further broken down to have schools report things like foster care status and whether or not a student is homeless.
In Rochester, 30-year-veteran teacher Kelly Wright-Glynn said the data collection process allows teachers to look at the bigger picture, at factors they might not have previously considered, and for trends like the types of environments students struggle in.
"School districts have data coming out of their ears, but they need to understand what kind of information the data will tell you," Gibbons said.
Factors examined could be, for example, classrooms with male teachers or in classes that are less hands on.
Eric Kloos, a statewide PBIS coordinator who works with the Minnesota Department of Education, said collecting data reveals patterns to educators at certain times of day, or in certain environments — and recognizing those has transformed how people think about discipline.
"You have the tools and processes to get deep into the conversation," Kloos said. "PBIS really gives the system and tools to help find (problems) earlier and really orient people's attention to problem-solving around that"
The last five years, there's been a decrease statewide in the total number of days for out-of-school suspensions. Expulsions also decreased, marginally.
With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act — a federal education bill that replaced No Child Left Behind — federal regulations shifted slightly in what will be required of districts. Currently districts only need to report in-school suspensions for special education students, and that will extend to all students. It will also require the foster care, military family and homelessness status to be reported.
Currently, the state is required to track disciplinary actions by districts, like out-of-school suspensions that last more than one day, as well as incidents involving dangerous weapons. Next year, districts around the state will be required to report in-school suspensions as well, under new federal rules.
Another issue, highlighted earlier this year in a report released by MinnCAN, is that school districts don't further break down race/ethnicity data. For example, the category "Black" would include an African-American student and a student that's a Somali immigrant. State organizations say breaking that down further and reviewing data could provide more answers overall and for teachers.
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All this data is great, but it doesn't always tell the whole story.
Many districts struggle to wade through it. Often districts don't have the capacity to use the data yet, whether it be academic or behavioral data, said Kim Gibbons, associate director with the University of Minnesota's Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement.
"Despite substantial motivations and efforts to use data, most districts lack the capacity to meet their own needs for data-based decision-making, in part due to a lack of qualified personnel," concluded a 2016 CAREI needs assessment. Gibbons said while the report focuses primarily on collecting data for academic achievement purposes, Gibbons said that the concepts extend to disciplinary actions as well.
Gibbons said there is a huge need for data literacy, and districts need to understand how the types of data they're collecting can answer their questions and present solutions. Many said their capacity to use that data was poor, and districts need to work on that.
It's also sometimes difficult to capture social-emotional behavior issues.
"If you're just relying on behavioral data that is infractions that annoy teachers — not following directions, annoying teachers — that'll capture one group of kids, but there's a lot more attention given lately to school-based mental health," Gibbons.
But despite shortcomings, education leaders say it's time to shift how we look at discipline, and data is the place to start.
"I think as a nation, we're starting to see data as a need — to create a solution," Crosson said. "We're all coming together to change the narrative on school discipline."
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Information from: Post-Bulletin, http://www.postbulletin.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by the Post-Bulletin
- By NICK HYTREK Sioux City Journal
BANCROFT, Neb. (AP) — Preparing meals for dozens of children every day, knowing that some of them won't like the food, is part of the job of being a school cook.
Becky Wortman has been doing this long enough not to take it personally.
"You can't please everybody," Wortman told the Sioux City Journal (http://bit.ly/1NAfuqP ).
She doesn't let it bother her. What bothers her are the hairnets. Wortman does not like wearing the hairnets.
"I hate the hairnets," she said, adding it emphatically to her comments at the end of an interview.
On Thursday, Wortman will wear the hated hairnet for the last time as she prepares and serves her final meal after 34 years in food service at Bancroft-Rosalie Public School.
May is the time when another school year ends along with long careers spent inside those schools. We often hear of the beloved teachers or principals who are retiring.
But inside every school are people like Wortman — food service workers, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers and others. They're not teachers, but many of these workers have spent decades working there, performing important tasks that keep every school running smoothly.
Tasks like preparing meals to give students the energy needed to pay attention and learn.
"We're not just cooks, we're a vital part of the educational system," Wortman said.
And, in Wortman's case, she's loved just about every minute of working in the kitchen, first in Rosalie beginning in 1982, then in Bancroft after the schools consolidated in 1983. For the past 30 years, she's been the district's food service manager, entrusted with making sure the lunches -- and since 2001, breakfasts, too -- served to 250-270 students every day are healthy and, hopefully, tasty.
"I think for the most part they like it," she said. "We just do their favorites and balance it through the week."
It's a tough balancing act. Nutrition guidelines change. New foods and ingredients get added to meet those requirements, but not always to the students' satisfaction. Sweet potato fries were one of those experiments, until the high school students piled all the uneaten fries onto a couple trays and returned them at the end of the lunch period to make their point.
"They just didn't want them," Wortman said.
There are plenty of items that are much more popular than the sweet potatoes. Chili and cinnamon rolls are always popular. Homemade pizza is a big hit. Students like the taco and super nacho bars, too.
"You need to follow the regulations, but you also need to feed the kids, keep them happy and give them healthy choices," Wortman said.
And document it all. Wortman won't miss all the record-keeping that goes into planning meals and ordering commodities. It's hard enough to cook and clean up the kitchen afterward.
"You're on your feet a lot, lifting a lot of heavy things," Wortman said. "It's a lot of stressful, heavy work."
And it's fun. Working in the kitchen allowed Wortman to see her own children, and now her grandchildren, in school every day.
"To get in with the school was kind of nice," said Wortman, whose mother was a teacher. She also has a sister teaching here. "The school system's been in my blood."
Wortman's husband, Jerry, retired from farming a couple years ago, and they'll continue to enjoy traveling and camping during the summer while fixing up a house in Maskell, Nebraska. There will be more time to see grandchildren.
Wortman will happily hang up the hairnet, but will take many fond memories with her.
"I'll miss the kids, and the staff is so great," she said. "It's like an extended family here."
A family for whom she's made thousands of meals.
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Information from: Sioux City Journal, http://www.siouxcityjournal.com
An AP Member Exchange shared by the Sioux City Journal.
- By REBECCA BREAM The Star Press
MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) — What started as an exciting partnership between Muncie Civic Theatre and Muncie's Animal Rescue Fund ended with forever homes for two animals.
It all started when Laura Williamson, executive director at Civic, had a special role to fill for the theater's spring production of "Mary Poppins."
That role? The pet dog character, Willoughby.
Williamson, stage manager Minda Johnson and assistant stage manager Kelly Delisle went to seek out a special pup at the rescue group, known as ARF.
The dog they would select for the show would be announced as adoptable for any interested audience member.
It was an opportunity both ARF and Civic could not pass up.
"We love this kind of interaction with ARF," said Dee McKinsey, communications specialist for ARF. "This helps us publicize ARF, plus our community gives a lot to ARF. We wouldn't exist if Muncie and areas surrounding us didn't support ARF."
Williamson had some requirements when it came to looking for the perfect Willoughby.
"The size of the dog was very important," Williamson said. "Not many theaters choose to do this; they usually use a puppet."
The director said the dog would need to be manageable, as it would be carried on stage, and not too "yippy."
"We went early in the process so we could return the dog to ARF if needed," Williamson said.
Little did she know the dog they chose would be leaving ARF for good.
Williamson said when the three of them arrived at ARF it was very clear who their Willoughby was.
The group decided a 6-year-old beagle mix named Peaches was their Willoughby, and Williamson agreed to foster the dog.
"The dogs are in their respective kennels, and the dogs were barking for our attention, except for this little gem," Williamson said. "She sat there very stoically and quietly and the star quality was very obvious. She knew what was needed for this role and that was silence."
Peaches was brought to ARF as a stray when she was 4 years old.
When it came time for Mary Poppins rehearsals, there was only one person Peaches wanted to be around.
She would constantly want to be in Williamson's arms during rehearsals, which led to what the director calls a "surprise."
"It became that this Willoughby would become my Willoughby," Williamson said. "I can no longer foster dogs because I fall in love with them."
Williamson and her family adopted the dog, choosing to call Peaches by her stage name, Willoughby.
The search for a replacement Willoughby was back on, thanks to the help of ARF.
"I'm so pleased that ARF is in our community as a non-kill shelter," Williamson said.
Williamson sought out Lucy, a six-year-old dachshund who was pregnant and surrendered to the rescue in December.
Lucy's puppy, Gracie, a shih tzu/dachshund mix is also an ARF dog who recently had life-saving surgery for a hole in her heart.
Gracie has a loving foster care family and her mom Lucy is also doing well thanks to two Mary Poppins audience members.
Delisle agreed to foster Lucy for the time being, in hopes an audience member would fall in love with her when they saw her on stage as Willoughby.
"Mary Poppins" ran over three weekends in April and May at Civic.
Within the show's first weekend, Lucy was adopted by a loving mother and daughter.
Lori Kierstead lives in Anderson and was invited by friends to go see "Mary Poppins."
Her daughter, Maren Kierstead, is a junior at Anderson High School and wanted to see her teacher, Rick Ziuchkovski, play the role of Mr. Banks.
"My daughter went to the restroom during intermission and she said she heard two ladies talking about the dog in the show being up for adoption," Kierstead said.
Kierstead and her daughter were looking for a dog and asked the Civic staff about Lucy's adoption opportunity.
Kierstead said it was love at first sight when Lucy came out on stage and that their connection was instant.
"We went and met her after the show, and I told them I was very interested in adopting," Kierstead said. "As Lucy's foster mom, Kelly, was carrying her through the room, Lucy whipped her head around and just watched me. I told my friend that girl was carrying my dog."
Kierstead said ARF faxed the adoption paperwork to her the following Monday and she filled it out.
Some paperwork and a $75 adoption fee later, Lucy had a new home.
ARF asked Lucy's mom-to-be if the dog could continue her role in the play, which Kierstead had no problem with.
"In that time we were able to get her some toys, food, and get all set up," Kierstead said. "ARF was right on it, they kept me posted daily and let me know they've talked to the vet."
By Mother's Day, May 8, Lucy was at her new home.
Kierstead said Lucy is already housebroken, and they are able to leave her at home during the day without any surprise accidents.
"She's just unbelievable," Kierstead said. "I thought she would be depressed and homesick when she got here, but she instantly knew this was her home."
Stacy Kerschner, Kierstead's best friend, sees how well Lucy fits in.
"They needed a dog that could spend time by themselves and with their schedule, she was the right fit for them," Kerschner said. "There is a dog out there like that for everybody, and they just need to go look."
Those interested in adopting a pet can do so at ARF, where 50 dogs and 70 cats are being housed.
Thirty-five of the dogs are being housed at the rescue's Sanctuary House, where although they aren't adoptable due to age, disposition or infirmity, they are able to fill out their lives.
The other 15 are up for adoption and are waiting for loving homes.
McKinsey and ARF are extremely grateful for what the partnership did for the animals.
"This helped beyond our wildest expectations because we didn't think we would adopt out two dogs, but it often happens that when somebody fosters a dog, the dog picks them and then they can't let go," McKinsey said.
Kierstead believes putting the dogs in a play brought more attention to them.
"ARF needs to do this more often because it puts the word out and gets the dogs seen," Kierstead said. "They made the adoption process really fun."
Williamson said she would "absolutely" partner with ARF again in the future.
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Source: The (Muncie) Star Press, http://tspne.ws/1swxyc3
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Information from: The Star Press, http://www.thestarpress.com
This is an AP-Indiana Exchange story offered by The (Muncie) Star Press.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The remains of a U.S. Navy member killed in the Pearl Harbor attack will be returned to be buried in his hometown in Kansas nearly 75 years after his death.
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Dale Pearce's remains will be flown by military escort to Tulsa on Tuesday, The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/1YJooCG ) reported.
Family members, escorted by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and local police, will take the casket to Parsons. It'll be buried Thursday in Dennis, a town of about 300 people.
"On the day Pearl Harbor happened, I was outside playing on my tricycle," said Ralph Pearce, Dale's cousin. "I remember going inside and all the folks were listening to the radio. I still remember the looks on their faces that something was wrong."
According to military records, Pearce's remains were recovered about a year after the 1941 attack. But advances in DNA technology in recent years have allowed authorities to identify remains of those deceased long ago.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency scientists used family DNA and dental comparisons to identify Pearce.
"It is a huge honor for him to be coming home and identified after all these years," said Pam Mathis, Ralph Pearce's daughter.
Dale Pearce was the youngest of 13 children, and his mother died when he was 12.
"He will be buried next to his mother," Ralph Pearce said. "My folks are buried down there. He will have a sister next to him and a couple of brothers. Our spirits are happy about it."
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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Federal prosecutors charged a former U.S. Army explosives expert on Friday with illegally possessing grenades that they said were among a cache of explosives that investigators found in his Kansas home.
John Panchalk, 42, of Overland Park was charged with one count of possessing two fragmentation grenades unregistered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Panchalk, who was arrested late Thursday after a search of his home, initially was charged by Johnson County prosecutors with one count of criminal use of explosives. But that felony was dropped Friday to give way to the federal charge.
Panchalk caught the attention of investigators Thursday when police responding to a report of a stolen vehicle at a Parkville, Missouri, self-storage site found several storage trailers vandalized, according to an affidavit by Roger Stous, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
One of them, later linked to Panchalk, contained explosives that included ammunition canisters, rocket fins, blasting caps, C-4 explosives and military grenade simulators, Stous wrote.
When investigators confronted Panchalk at his residence, authorities allege, he was evasive when asked about the trailer's contents. An ensuing search of his home by police and federal agents uncovered 38 pounds of C-4 explosive, detonation cord, blasting caps, grenade simulators, incendiary devices and the two fragmentation grenades, court filings allege.
Online court records don't show whether Panchalk has an attorney. Panchalk also is a firearms instructor at a Johnson County shooting range.
The federal felony is punishable by up to a decade in prison and a fine of as much as $250,000.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Milwaukee custard shop owner with an English-only ordering policy has called off a meeting with a Latino rights group.
Ron Schneider of Leon's Frozen Custard was to meet Friday with the League of United Latin American Citizens. But the group says Schneider needed more time to meet with his attorney.
The policy became public Tuesday after a Spanish-speaking customer was told by a Spanish-speaking employee that she was only allowed to take his order in English.
Schneider said at the time that he didn't want to encourage non-English orders because it could become "a problem down the road," adding that "we can't be the United Nations."
But Leon told WTMJ-TV on Thursday he has now decided his bilingual employees can help customers in whatever language they both speak.
- BY JEROD CLAPP News and Tribune
NEW ALBANY, Ind. (AP) — John Castrale started a recent morning with an assault from two peregrine falcons, neither of them too happy about him climbing 400 feet to their nest and taking their three babies. But all around, it was for a good cause.
Castrale, a retired Indiana Department of Natural Resources nongame bird biologist, was helping to catalog the endangered birds and cap off a two-week education program for third- and fourth-graders at Mount Tabor Elementary School, who got to name the chicks.
"It's an adrenaline rush," Castrale said. "These birds aren't too bad. There was one site where I stopped counting the hits at 40."
Duke Energy brought students, teachers and parents to the Gallagher Generating Station in New Albany to name and band the peregrine chicks for the second year in a row. One of the state's 20 nesting pairs live on one of the stacks at the plant.
The birds were classified as endangered, but rebounded to removal of the status in 1999, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service website. Castrale said peregrines have proven they can change with the times.
"You would think this is a wilderness bird, nesting in arctic regions or on cliffs," Castrale said. "But they've taken to nesting in suburban and industrial environments in tall spaces."
Carlee Smith, a fourth-grader at Mount Tabor Elementary, said she's had a lot of fun learning about the world's fastest bird, which can dive at speeds of about 200 miles per hour.
"I thought it was cool that they had been shown in old Greek and Roman paintings," Smith said. "That and how fast they can go is really cool."
The chicks — which the class named Zane, Skylar and Christian — were bigger than Smith expected, about the size of a house cat. She said it was fun to see the animals they'd spent so much time learning about.
"It's cool because you can always look at pictures, but to see them is a whole lot cooler," Smith said.
Bethany Reavis, a teacher at the school, said showing students what they're learning about can help strengthen the connection with their subject material.
"To be able to witness science in action is pretty cool, so we hope we get invited back again," Reavis said. "I feel like they're able to connect the information pretty well."
Castrale said he's been working to help peregrine falcons since 1989. While they're on the up and up, he said it's good to keep an appreciation for the animals and teach younger generations about their conservation.
"Kids these days are kind of insulated, so any kind of exposure to you can give them is good," Castrale said. "Hopefully, you have a budding ornithologist or environmentalist who will be really stimulated by something like this."
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Source: News and Tribune, http://bit.ly/1WEltgM
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Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com
This is an AP-Indiana Exchange story offered by the News and Tribune.
EMPIRE, Mich. (AP) — Volunteers and their dogs are being sought for second year to help protect the endangered piping plover which nests along Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northwestern Michigan.
MLive.com reports (http://bit.ly/20glrKo ) Friday that orientations will be held Saturday and Tuesday for the "Bark Ranger" program.
Humans and their dogs will serve as park ambassadors, keeping other pets from getting into areas used by the piping plover. When the birds are startled by a dog, which they see as a predator, they flee their nest.
Nesting season runs to September.
Saturday's orientation is at 1 p.m. at the D. H. Day Log Cabin near Glen Arbor. The Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire will host Tuesday's 7 p.m. meeting.
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Business owners in La Crosse are putting pigeons on the pill — sort of.
Feeding stations atop downtown buildings include a contraceptive feed. It's aimed at lowering reproduction in the birds that leave droppings on sidewalks, awnings and park benches.
Wayne Oliver, a member of the Downtown Mainstreet Board, tells WXOW (http://bit.ly/1XnFGXb ) that it's the most successful idea the board has tried.
Maria Norberg, owner of a downtown coffee shop and food truck, says she supports anything that can cut down on the overhead threat to her customers.
Funding comes from a city beautification grant.
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Information from: WXOW-TV, http://www.wxow.com
- By RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An inmate convicted of murder in 1984 will not get a new trial even though the prosecution relied on discredited FBI bullet-matching science, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday.
Jurors probably would have found Glendale More guilty even if inaccurate FBI testimony linking a bullet in his possession to the bullets that killed the victim would have been excluded, the court ruled in a 7-0 decision.
Justices said they were troubled by the invalid science and other prosecutorial misconduct, including the failure to disclose a reward to a juvenile offender who put More at the crime scene.
"Yet ... we cannot conclude that More's trial, though flawed, was fundamentally unfair in light of the entire record, which points in the direction of More's guilt," Justice Brent Appel wrote.
More is serving a life sentence for the 1983 slaying of his girlfriend, Wauneita Townsend, who was found shot to death in her car outside a Davenport car dealership. Now 73, More lives at the Fort Dodge Correctional Institution.
He filed for post-conviction relief in 2007 after the FBI disavowed compositional bullet-lead analysis, which it had used in thousands of cases. The technique used chemistry to try to link bullets found at crime scenes to others in the possession of suspects, based on their elemental characteristics. The FBI stopped using the technique in 2005 after a scientific review concluded that it was unreliable.
At More's trial, prosecutors argued that bullets recovered from Townsend's head and car were a match for a bullet found in More's pocket days later. A nurse found the bullet on More at a psychiatric unit, where he was placed after exhibiting bizarre behavior in the hours after Townsend's death.
An FBI agent implied in testimony that all three bullets must have come from the same box of cartridges. A defense expert countered that the FBI's interpretation of the science was not supported by forensic chemists.
But a prosecutor told jurors in his closing argument that the FBI had been using the technique for a long time and the agent was confident when he testified "the bullets match."
In 2009, the FBI acknowledged the testimony in More's case "exceeds the limits of the science and cannot be supported."
Justice Appel wrote that the FBI's disavowal of the technique amounts to new evidence but that it probably wouldn't have changed the outcome. He cited strong circumstantial evidence against More, including that he was with Townsend minutes before her death at a grocery store and that she had been planning to leave him. More was struggling financially and was a beneficiary on Townsend's recently-acquired life insurance policy.
"More certainly had motive, he had the means, he was at the right place at the right time, and his behavior generally and repeatedly points in the direction of guilt," Appel wrote.
It was the third time courts have found fault with More's prosecution, but declined to order relief.
The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled in 1985 that prosecutors violated the doctor-patient privilege by calling the nurse and a psychiatrist to testify, but that those were harmless errors.
The appeals court ruled in 1999 that prosecutors failed to disclose evidence that they offered a 13-year-old offender a $350 reward for his testimony, but that also was deemed harmless. The witness testified that he was at the dealership looking for a car to steal when he heard two gunshots and saw More trying to set Townsend's car on fire. The witness recanted his testimony years later, but a judge called the recantation "completely incredible."
Appel said those errors "undermine confidence in our system of justice."
HOLLAND, Mich. (AP) — A college soccer field with one goal in the western Michigan city of Holland and the other officially located in an adjoining township is getting united.
The Holland Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/1ODmoq3 ) most of the field at Hope College's Van Andel Soccer Stadium was in Holland, but a portion including one goal was in Ottawa County's Holland Township.
Township Supervisor Terry Nienhuis noted: "I don't know if there's any player that's confused by that." Still, the communities agreed this week that the township's portion would become part of the city.
Hope College initially brought the request to the township and the school agreed to pay any legal costs for the transaction. The township notes that having the property all in one community simplifies regulations and planning for any future uses.
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Information from: The Holland Sentinel, http://www.thehollandsentinel.com
JACKSON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio minister convicted of sexually assaulting a juvenile and an adult who were members of his congregation and another juvenile has been sentenced to life in prison.
The state attorney general's office says 67-year-old Dennis Wright was sentenced Thursday in southern Ohio's Jackson County after a jury found him guilty this week of multiple charges.
Wright, who ministered a small congregation near Oak Hill, was convicted of seven counts of rape, two counts of sexual battery, two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, and three counts of gross sexual imposition. He had denied the charges.
Prosecutors claimed the minister used his position of authority to target vulnerable victims who trusted him.
He won't be eligible for parole until he is well over 100 years old.
- By TAYLOR NACHTIGAL Post-Bulletin
ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — A couple years ago, Riverside Elementary School added a school-wide breakfast program. Now about 75 percent of students eat breakfast in their classrooms each morning.
"If they're hungry at 9 a.m., they're not going to stop worrying about it throughout the day," said Riverside Principal Jacque Peterson.
Collecting data on students has revealed patterns like this — sometimes they act out at certain times of day because they're hungry and can't focus. The idea behind providing breakfast is to meet students' basic needs so they can focus on learning, the Post-Bulletin (http://bit.ly/1OQbYJd ) reported.
Peterson said since the program began, they've seen fewer discipline issues, especially in the morning. Districtwide, the breakfast program has expanded to 12 schools, Superintendent Michael Muñoz said at the May 3 school board meeting.
While discipline problems have always existed in schools, district officials are looking for answers in a new way — through collecting data.
Many think this type of data tracking will provide answers and allow educators to start identifying and addressing the root problem for students who have behavioral issues.
According to a Minnesota Department of Education report, Black and American Indian students were disproportionately disciplined in the state's public schools. Black students make up 12 percent of the population, but are involved in 38 percent of disciplinary actions taken — that's about three times their population.
American Indian students are overrepresented by four times their population. They make up 2 percent of the population, but account for 8 percent of disciplinary actions.
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It's this trend that is apparent statewide, and in Rochester, that caused RPS to hire Principal Afolabi Runsewe following the OCR agreement. Runsewe oversees PBIS efforts and tracks and reviews student discipline with each of the district's schools.
At weekly meetings district leaders discuss trends in behavior, where those behaviors occur, like the physical rooms and spaces and what behaviors look like in different locations, especially for categories that are considered subjective. For example, what does defiance look like — does it happen in the classroom? Does it happen in the hallways?
Districts are required to track and report data through the Minnesota Department of Education, through a system called disciplinary incident reporting system, or DIRS. The district reports the behavior, the action taken by the district and demographic information of the student.
"We are in a new era of looking towards the data to improve our systems, specifically our public education systems," said Josh Crosson, an advocacy manager with MinnCAN, a state education advocacy group.
Data review groups meet weekly at all of Rochester's public schools to talk about specific students, but also to address overall issues like discipline disparities. This is a major component of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, and a growing trend statewide.
The hope is that the data will lead to answers — answers that show in what types of classes and environments students are misbehaving, or what times of day they're having problems.
"The best way is to look at the data and see where resources are required," Crosson said.
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Statewide, groups like MinnCAN advocated for bills that would require an increase in data collection this legislative session, on the specifics of day-to-day student behavior, but also on suspensions, expulsions and other classroom removals. While many districts collect and report this information back to the state now, MinnCAN hopes the data will be further broken down to have schools report things like foster care status and whether or not a student is homeless.
In Rochester, 30-year-veteran teacher Kelly Wright-Glynn said the data collection process allows teachers to look at the bigger picture, at factors they might not have previously considered, and for trends like the types of environments students struggle in.
"School districts have data coming out of their ears, but they need to understand what kind of information the data will tell you," Gibbons said.
Factors examined could be, for example, classrooms with male teachers or in classes that are less hands on.
Eric Kloos, a statewide PBIS coordinator who works with the Minnesota Department of Education, said collecting data reveals patterns to educators at certain times of day, or in certain environments — and recognizing those has transformed how people think about discipline.
"You have the tools and processes to get deep into the conversation," Kloos said. "PBIS really gives the system and tools to help find (problems) earlier and really orient people's attention to problem-solving around that"
The last five years, there's been a decrease statewide in the total number of days for out-of-school suspensions. Expulsions also decreased, marginally.
With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act — a federal education bill that replaced No Child Left Behind — federal regulations shifted slightly in what will be required of districts. Currently districts only need to report in-school suspensions for special education students, and that will extend to all students. It will also require the foster care, military family and homelessness status to be reported.
Currently, the state is required to track disciplinary actions by districts, like out-of-school suspensions that last more than one day, as well as incidents involving dangerous weapons. Next year, districts around the state will be required to report in-school suspensions as well, under new federal rules.
Another issue, highlighted earlier this year in a report released by MinnCAN, is that school districts don't further break down race/ethnicity data. For example, the category "Black" would include an African-American student and a student that's a Somali immigrant. State organizations say breaking that down further and reviewing data could provide more answers overall and for teachers.
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All this data is great, but it doesn't always tell the whole story.
Many districts struggle to wade through it. Often districts don't have the capacity to use the data yet, whether it be academic or behavioral data, said Kim Gibbons, associate director with the University of Minnesota's Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement.
"Despite substantial motivations and efforts to use data, most districts lack the capacity to meet their own needs for data-based decision-making, in part due to a lack of qualified personnel," concluded a 2016 CAREI needs assessment. Gibbons said while the report focuses primarily on collecting data for academic achievement purposes, Gibbons said that the concepts extend to disciplinary actions as well.
Gibbons said there is a huge need for data literacy, and districts need to understand how the types of data they're collecting can answer their questions and present solutions. Many said their capacity to use that data was poor, and districts need to work on that.
It's also sometimes difficult to capture social-emotional behavior issues.
"If you're just relying on behavioral data that is infractions that annoy teachers — not following directions, annoying teachers — that'll capture one group of kids, but there's a lot more attention given lately to school-based mental health," Gibbons.
But despite shortcomings, education leaders say it's time to shift how we look at discipline, and data is the place to start.
"I think as a nation, we're starting to see data as a need — to create a solution," Crosson said. "We're all coming together to change the narrative on school discipline."
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Information from: Post-Bulletin, http://www.postbulletin.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by the Post-Bulletin
- By NICK HYTREK Sioux City Journal
BANCROFT, Neb. (AP) — Preparing meals for dozens of children every day, knowing that some of them won't like the food, is part of the job of being a school cook.
Becky Wortman has been doing this long enough not to take it personally.
"You can't please everybody," Wortman told the Sioux City Journal (http://bit.ly/1NAfuqP ).
She doesn't let it bother her. What bothers her are the hairnets. Wortman does not like wearing the hairnets.
"I hate the hairnets," she said, adding it emphatically to her comments at the end of an interview.
On Thursday, Wortman will wear the hated hairnet for the last time as she prepares and serves her final meal after 34 years in food service at Bancroft-Rosalie Public School.
May is the time when another school year ends along with long careers spent inside those schools. We often hear of the beloved teachers or principals who are retiring.
But inside every school are people like Wortman — food service workers, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers and others. They're not teachers, but many of these workers have spent decades working there, performing important tasks that keep every school running smoothly.
Tasks like preparing meals to give students the energy needed to pay attention and learn.
"We're not just cooks, we're a vital part of the educational system," Wortman said.
And, in Wortman's case, she's loved just about every minute of working in the kitchen, first in Rosalie beginning in 1982, then in Bancroft after the schools consolidated in 1983. For the past 30 years, she's been the district's food service manager, entrusted with making sure the lunches -- and since 2001, breakfasts, too -- served to 250-270 students every day are healthy and, hopefully, tasty.
"I think for the most part they like it," she said. "We just do their favorites and balance it through the week."
It's a tough balancing act. Nutrition guidelines change. New foods and ingredients get added to meet those requirements, but not always to the students' satisfaction. Sweet potato fries were one of those experiments, until the high school students piled all the uneaten fries onto a couple trays and returned them at the end of the lunch period to make their point.
"They just didn't want them," Wortman said.
There are plenty of items that are much more popular than the sweet potatoes. Chili and cinnamon rolls are always popular. Homemade pizza is a big hit. Students like the taco and super nacho bars, too.
"You need to follow the regulations, but you also need to feed the kids, keep them happy and give them healthy choices," Wortman said.
And document it all. Wortman won't miss all the record-keeping that goes into planning meals and ordering commodities. It's hard enough to cook and clean up the kitchen afterward.
"You're on your feet a lot, lifting a lot of heavy things," Wortman said. "It's a lot of stressful, heavy work."
And it's fun. Working in the kitchen allowed Wortman to see her own children, and now her grandchildren, in school every day.
"To get in with the school was kind of nice," said Wortman, whose mother was a teacher. She also has a sister teaching here. "The school system's been in my blood."
Wortman's husband, Jerry, retired from farming a couple years ago, and they'll continue to enjoy traveling and camping during the summer while fixing up a house in Maskell, Nebraska. There will be more time to see grandchildren.
Wortman will happily hang up the hairnet, but will take many fond memories with her.
"I'll miss the kids, and the staff is so great," she said. "It's like an extended family here."
A family for whom she's made thousands of meals.
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Information from: Sioux City Journal, http://www.siouxcityjournal.com
An AP Member Exchange shared by the Sioux City Journal.
- By REBECCA BREAM The Star Press
MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) — What started as an exciting partnership between Muncie Civic Theatre and Muncie's Animal Rescue Fund ended with forever homes for two animals.
It all started when Laura Williamson, executive director at Civic, had a special role to fill for the theater's spring production of "Mary Poppins."
That role? The pet dog character, Willoughby.
Williamson, stage manager Minda Johnson and assistant stage manager Kelly Delisle went to seek out a special pup at the rescue group, known as ARF.
The dog they would select for the show would be announced as adoptable for any interested audience member.
It was an opportunity both ARF and Civic could not pass up.
"We love this kind of interaction with ARF," said Dee McKinsey, communications specialist for ARF. "This helps us publicize ARF, plus our community gives a lot to ARF. We wouldn't exist if Muncie and areas surrounding us didn't support ARF."
Williamson had some requirements when it came to looking for the perfect Willoughby.
"The size of the dog was very important," Williamson said. "Not many theaters choose to do this; they usually use a puppet."
The director said the dog would need to be manageable, as it would be carried on stage, and not too "yippy."
"We went early in the process so we could return the dog to ARF if needed," Williamson said.
Little did she know the dog they chose would be leaving ARF for good.
Williamson said when the three of them arrived at ARF it was very clear who their Willoughby was.
The group decided a 6-year-old beagle mix named Peaches was their Willoughby, and Williamson agreed to foster the dog.
"The dogs are in their respective kennels, and the dogs were barking for our attention, except for this little gem," Williamson said. "She sat there very stoically and quietly and the star quality was very obvious. She knew what was needed for this role and that was silence."
Peaches was brought to ARF as a stray when she was 4 years old.
When it came time for Mary Poppins rehearsals, there was only one person Peaches wanted to be around.
She would constantly want to be in Williamson's arms during rehearsals, which led to what the director calls a "surprise."
"It became that this Willoughby would become my Willoughby," Williamson said. "I can no longer foster dogs because I fall in love with them."
Williamson and her family adopted the dog, choosing to call Peaches by her stage name, Willoughby.
The search for a replacement Willoughby was back on, thanks to the help of ARF.
"I'm so pleased that ARF is in our community as a non-kill shelter," Williamson said.
Williamson sought out Lucy, a six-year-old dachshund who was pregnant and surrendered to the rescue in December.
Lucy's puppy, Gracie, a shih tzu/dachshund mix is also an ARF dog who recently had life-saving surgery for a hole in her heart.
Gracie has a loving foster care family and her mom Lucy is also doing well thanks to two Mary Poppins audience members.
Delisle agreed to foster Lucy for the time being, in hopes an audience member would fall in love with her when they saw her on stage as Willoughby.
"Mary Poppins" ran over three weekends in April and May at Civic.
Within the show's first weekend, Lucy was adopted by a loving mother and daughter.
Lori Kierstead lives in Anderson and was invited by friends to go see "Mary Poppins."
Her daughter, Maren Kierstead, is a junior at Anderson High School and wanted to see her teacher, Rick Ziuchkovski, play the role of Mr. Banks.
"My daughter went to the restroom during intermission and she said she heard two ladies talking about the dog in the show being up for adoption," Kierstead said.
Kierstead and her daughter were looking for a dog and asked the Civic staff about Lucy's adoption opportunity.
Kierstead said it was love at first sight when Lucy came out on stage and that their connection was instant.
"We went and met her after the show, and I told them I was very interested in adopting," Kierstead said. "As Lucy's foster mom, Kelly, was carrying her through the room, Lucy whipped her head around and just watched me. I told my friend that girl was carrying my dog."
Kierstead said ARF faxed the adoption paperwork to her the following Monday and she filled it out.
Some paperwork and a $75 adoption fee later, Lucy had a new home.
ARF asked Lucy's mom-to-be if the dog could continue her role in the play, which Kierstead had no problem with.
"In that time we were able to get her some toys, food, and get all set up," Kierstead said. "ARF was right on it, they kept me posted daily and let me know they've talked to the vet."
By Mother's Day, May 8, Lucy was at her new home.
Kierstead said Lucy is already housebroken, and they are able to leave her at home during the day without any surprise accidents.
"She's just unbelievable," Kierstead said. "I thought she would be depressed and homesick when she got here, but she instantly knew this was her home."
Stacy Kerschner, Kierstead's best friend, sees how well Lucy fits in.
"They needed a dog that could spend time by themselves and with their schedule, she was the right fit for them," Kerschner said. "There is a dog out there like that for everybody, and they just need to go look."
Those interested in adopting a pet can do so at ARF, where 50 dogs and 70 cats are being housed.
Thirty-five of the dogs are being housed at the rescue's Sanctuary House, where although they aren't adoptable due to age, disposition or infirmity, they are able to fill out their lives.
The other 15 are up for adoption and are waiting for loving homes.
McKinsey and ARF are extremely grateful for what the partnership did for the animals.
"This helped beyond our wildest expectations because we didn't think we would adopt out two dogs, but it often happens that when somebody fosters a dog, the dog picks them and then they can't let go," McKinsey said.
Kierstead believes putting the dogs in a play brought more attention to them.
"ARF needs to do this more often because it puts the word out and gets the dogs seen," Kierstead said. "They made the adoption process really fun."
Williamson said she would "absolutely" partner with ARF again in the future.
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Source: The (Muncie) Star Press, http://tspne.ws/1swxyc3
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Information from: The Star Press, http://www.thestarpress.com
This is an AP-Indiana Exchange story offered by The (Muncie) Star Press.
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