The national program began in 2003, originating in the sewing room of a U.S. soldier's mom in Delaware.

The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. QOVF has become a national grassroots community service effort, connecting the home-front with the country's wounded combat warriors and veterans.

Pulaski County has dozens of women who love to make quilt tops. They are loosely organized through clubs, churches and social media, and they have joined together to participate in the Quilts of Valor program.

A Quilt of Valor is a generous lap-sized quilt, made by a quilt-topper (the piecer) of quality fabrics, and finished by a machine quilter. After it has been bound, washed, labeled and wrapped in a presentation case, it is ready to be awarded.

The local ladies organized Saturday's program, which began with the Presentation of Colors by Boy Scout Troop 229 and concluded with a performance on bagpipes by brothers Zen and Roman Zupin.

The quilts were presented as follows:

 

Veteran: Leanne Behny
Donor: Vic & Judy Heater Family
Made by: Louise Gudas
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Richard Bischoff
Donor: NCS Welding Inc
Made by: Margaret Steinacker
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Howard Blackman
Donor: Eddie Ploss
Made by: Eddie Ploss
Quilted by: Eddie Ploss
 
Veteran: Richard Brown
Donor: Gordon Gutwein, Wayne Crist, Jenise Barnhouse, Ken and Doreen Knarr
Made by: Juan Knarr
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Don Busch
Donor: Busch, Ortman & Doll Families
Made by: Mary Ortman
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Bill Butler
Donor: JMR Trucking Inc.
Made by: Marcia Dulhanty & Phyllis Kramer
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Don Davis
Donor: UAW Local 1448
Made by: Ann Fagner
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Herb DePoy
Donor: Keller Advisory Group
Made by: Edith DePoy
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Gene Eudy
Donor: All American Realty
Made by: Linda Doll
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Jack Fites
Donor: Hoover Storage & Blue Hoover Music
Made by: Lenora Hoover
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Cathy Fritz
Donor: Betty's Quilting
Made by: Betty Podschun & Marietta Snow
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Matt Garbison
Donor: Braun Chevy
Made by: Bryn Zellers, Kari & Mackenzie VanCoutren
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Clem Good
Donor: Beauty Break
Made by: Edith DePoy
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Robert Hansen
Donor: Kewanna Metal Specialties
Made by: Brenda Finnegan & Linda Doll
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Ernie Heims
Donor: Tippecanoe Christian Church Ladies
Made by: Edith DePoy
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Howard Kain
Donor: Pulaski County Extension Homemakers
Made by: Ann Fagner
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Murlene Kiser (Family)
Donor: Niteliters Home Ec Club
Made by: Ann Fagner
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Jay Kopkey
Donor: Standard Industrial
Made by: Lenora Hoover, Margaret Steinacker, Cloretta Rausch
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Devon Kruger
Donor: Betty Kruger
Made by: Betty Kruger
Quilted by: Gloria Byers
 
Veteran: Dick Kruzick
Donor: Bethel Bible Church
Made by: Ann Fagner & Friends
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
Veteran: Harry Leazenby
Donor: Hickory Creek
Made by: Jan Moore & Joan Walter
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Ralph Mickey (Family)
Donor: Fellowship Baptish Church
Made by: Linda Fritz & Etta Hibner
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Adrian Miller
Donor: Tim & Sue Alexander
Made by: Ann Fagner & Cindy Pratt
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Dale Mitchell
Donor: Robert & Sherry Simpson, Hoover Construction
Made by: Linda Doll
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Tom Murray
Donor: Sanders Foods
Made by: Mary Ortman
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Virgil Myers
Donor: Frain Mortuary
Made by: Gayle Conner
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Fred Paulsen
Donor: VFW Post 1728
Made by: Mary Ortman
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Charles Pinks
Donor: Deb Berkshire
Made by: Deb Berkshire and Mardell Retschlag
Quilted by: Deb Berkshire
 
Veteran: Bill Retschlag
Donor: Venture Wireless
Made by: Deb Berkshire & Mardell Retschlag
Quilted by: Deb Berkshire
 
Veteran: John Shidler
Donor: Town & Country Women
Made by: Pam Burger, Peach Roth, Monica O'Connor
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Paul Sommers
Donor: Northern Indiana Power From the Past
Made by: Ann Fagner
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Jesse Stamper
Donor: Two Guys Mechanical
Made by: Jan Smith & Mary Shurn
Quilted by: Jan Smith
 
Veteran: Jim Terry
Donor: Moss Creek Golf Course
Made by: Ann Fagner
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Norman Thompson
Donor: American Legion Post 71
Made by: Rachel Foster
Quilted by: Jan Smith
 
Veteran: Bill Wagner
Donor: Keller Insurance
Made by: Margaret Steinacker
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Robert Walton
Donor: DeGroot Technology, Marita Grisel CPA, Jane Rausch
Made by: Margaret Steinacker
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Chuck Webb
Donor: Frain Mortuary
Made by: Anne Holbrook & Jennifer Holbrook
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Bob Widup
Donor: Mick & Pat Tiede
Made by: Gayle Conner
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
Veteran: Carl Williams
Donor: Patchwork Pals Home Ec Club
Made by: Gayle Conner
Quilted by: Betty Podschun
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
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Local News Briefs

Stop signs to be added to two county intersections

The Pulaski County Highway Department will add stop signs Monday (April 28) to two county road intersections – one in southeast Rich Grove Township, and the second in northwest Monroe Township.

The new stop signs were approved April 14 in an ordinance adopted by the county commissioners.

Pulaski County America 250 committee to meet April 28

The Pulaski County America 250 Committee will meet at 6 p.m., Monday (April 28) at the new Pulaski County Historical Society Museum, 110 N. Monticello St., Winamac.

All who are interested in helping to develop county plans to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary beginning this summer through 2026 is welcome to attend. Please RSVP to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to attend the meeting.

Pulaski County Economic Development Summit April 29

The annual Pulaski County Economic Development Summit is set for 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 29, at the Knights of Columbus hall, Winamac. The event is hosted by the Pulaski County Community Development Commission.

The keynote speaker will be Stephanie Wells, president of the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute. The program will also feature the annual “State of the County Economy” address by CDC executive director Nathan Origer.

PMH seeks community input identifying health needs of local communities

Survey deadline May 17

WINAMAC - Pulaski Memorial Hospital has announced the launch of its 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment, a comprehensive initiative aimed at identifying and addressing the most pressing health needs of our local communities.

“Community feedback is essential” said Hospital CEO Steve Jarosinski. ”PMH will be gathering input from residents, local organizations, community leaders, and even other area healthcare professionals to better understand the health challenges and opportunities across the region.”

PCPL lists programs, activities for April

The Pulaski County Public Library has listed its programs and activities for April. They include a celebration of National Library Week, a kids’ caring for the environment program, a Ladybug Welcome Sign craft, and an Earth Day craft.

For more information on any program, call the library at 574-946-3432 or visit the library’s website at www.pulaskicounty.lib.in.us.

  

Indiana News

Southbound I-65 reopens in Jasper County following hazmat fire

ROSELAWN (April 22) - I-65 southbound reopened near mile marker 230 at approximately 6:30 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, almost 17 hours following a spectacular semi-truck fire and hazmat cleanup which included an overnight repaving of a section of the interstate. No injuries were reported.

After assessing the damage to the roadway, the Indiana Department of Transportation determined that the accident scene needed to be resurfaced. INDOT already has a contract in place for this area for pavement patching with Rieth-Riley Construction, and they were able to mobilize to take over the scene once cleanup was complete. A total of 7,700 square feet of asphalt to a depth of four inches (and six inches on the outside shoulder) had to be replaced overnight.

Braun signs package of executive orders to ‘Make Indiana Healthy Again’

INDIANAPOLIS (April 15) – Gov. Mike Braun Tuesday signed a landmark package of executive orders with initiatives to improve Indiana’s health and well-being.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz were in attendance to support Indiana’s initiative. Indiana now joins a number of states that have embraced, through legislation or executive orders, Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement.

Pulaski County unemployment rate up slightly at 4.3 percent in February

Pulaski County's unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3 percent in February, up from 4.2 percent in January, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported Monday, (March 31). The rate was 3.8 percent a year ago.

The county had 6,535 employed persons in a labor force of 6,831 in February. In January those numbers were 6,507 of 6,793. A year ago the numbers were 6,381 of 6.645.

 

Update: Avian Influenza continues to affect wild birds across Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (March 3) - The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) continues to detect highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds throughout Indiana and has currently detected the H5NI virus in 30 counties.

HPAI is also suspected in an additional 32 counties based on reports involving the deaths of raptors, cranes, and waterfowl. Thirteen affected birds have been reported in Pulaski County, with significantly high cases found in neighboring Starke and Jasper counties.

Indiana Health News

Measles cases climb to 800 nationwide; 8 in Indiana

Also: respiratory illness updates

INDIANAPOLIS (April 21) — The Indiana Department of Health is investigating an outbreak of measles and working with local health officials to help stop the spread of infection. The current reported cases are connected to each other but at this time there are no known links to outbreaks in other states.

Eight cases have been reported in the Indiana, all in Allen County.

  

Post News

Pulaski Superior Court appears saved

INDIANAPOLIS (April 24) – Pulaski Superior Court and seven other rural courts have been spared from closure, following revisions made to HB1144 approved by both the state house and senate Thursday evening in the Indiana General Assembly.

The legislation is now pending the approval of Gov. Mike Braun.

Chamber presents Don, Lynn Darda with 2025 Halleck Award

The Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce presented the 2025 Halleck Community Service Award to Don and Lynn Darda of Winamac at its annual award banquet Thursday evening (April 24), at the Winamac VFW.

The Dardas are both retired teachers in the Winamac schools and have been enthusiastic volunteers in a variety of projects throughout the years. 

Community Foundation awards $15,000 in grants

The Community Foundation of Pulaski County (CFoPC) has announced $15,000 has been awarded in grants to local nonprofits and community organizations.

The following projects and organizations have received funding:

  • $5,000 to Pulaski County Historical Society – “We’re Moving!”
  • $10,000 to Pulaski Memorial Hospital – for a Community Health Worker

Alliance Junior Board visits BraunAbility

The Alliance Bank Junior Board of Directors had the opportunity to visit BraunAbility in Winamac in April.

During their visit, the student directors were given a presentation about the company and had the chance to ask questions. They also had a tour of the facility, which allowed them to see the manufacturing process of vehicles equipped to assist individuals with disabilities.

Jury finds Monterey man guilty of attempted murder 

WINAMAC – A Pulaski County Circuit Court jury has found a Monterey man guilty of attempted murder in connection with a July 3, 2023 shooting in downtown Monterey.

Kenneth D. Ketcahm, 41, was also convicted on additional charges of criminal recklessness and pointing a firearm. The verdict was returned Monday (April 14).

Fatal crash on U.S. 421 under Investigation

MEDARYVILLE (April 15) – The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a crash which claimed the life of a Porter County man Tuesday on U.S 421 near the intersection of CR 800N in Cass Township.

The crash involved a dump truck and minivan. Release of the identity of the deceased minivan driver is pending the notification of family.