Goshen News Now

Host Sheila Selman talks with Capt. Joseph Hixenbaugh and Lt. Kendra Hixenbaugh, the new leaders of the Salvation Army in Goshen. The Salvation Army has families people can adopt and they are in need of bell ringers this Christmas season. They explain how people can help.

Host Sheila Selman talks with 2009 Goshen High School grad Tell Williams IV on his one-year rise in TikTok fame and how he's using that fame to discuss tolerance, acceptance and diversity. He's also partnered with another Goshen native, James Jerlecki, on a new nail polish line.

Host Sheila Selman talks with Myron and Dana Bontrager about their recent bicycle trip from the U.S.-Canadian border in Maine to Key West, Florida.

Elkhart County Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait talks with host Sheila Selman about her resignation following a recent Elkhart County Council meeting. She also gives an update on the current COVID status of the county.

Host Sheila Selman chats with suicide prevention specialists Leslie Weirich and Hannah Quinn in this week's episodes. They talk about a new program they are working with that will be going into Goshen Schools next week; a 5K taking place this Saturday in honor of Austin Weirich, who died from suicide; and military suicides.

Elkhart County Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait talks with host Sheila Selman about how Elkhart County residents can slow down the delta variant of COVID now, RSV and children's hospitals, monoclonal antibody treatment, and information on booster shots in this week's episode.

Host Sheila Selman interviews Elkhart County Health Department's Environmental Health Manager Karla Kreczmer about what it takes to keep the fair food we all enjoy safe.

Did you know the Elkhart County Health Department had a mosquito display at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair during Kid's Day Wednesday? Carrie Brunson, dubbed "the mosquito queen" by Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait, talks with us about mosquitoes, her job in capturing and studying them, and some of the nasty diseases they carry.

Elkhart County went back to yellow on the state COVID metrics scale. County health officer Dr. Bethany Wait explains why the county's numbers are going up and what the current recommendations are.

Shuffleboard competition was ready to begin Tuesday during Senior Citizen's Day at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair, when host Sheila Selman caught up with shuffleboard competitors Bill Kercher and Carl Esch. The men talk about how they got into the sport and why it's so enjoyable.

Meet Blake Huston, co-owner of North American Midway Entertainment, which operates the rides and games at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair.

Harley James, owner of the Hot Wisconsin Cheese trailer at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair, talks with host Sheila Selman about returning to the fair and how COVID impacted his business.

Elkhart County 4-H Fair General Manager Miranda Muir chats with host Sheila Selman aboout her year-long role at the Elkhart County Fair, her lifelong love of fairs and what it took to bring this year's fair to fruition.

Elkhart County 4-H Fair parade director Boyd Smith talks with host Sheila Selman about Sunday's fair parade. Smith has been the parade director for 18 years.

Host Sheila Selman talks with Kristy Ambrosen of the Elkhart County Fair Corp. and Jenny Weldy with Goshen Home Care & Hospice about Hometown Heroes Day at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair taking place Saturday, July 24. Veterans and first responders can enter free and activities will be taking place all day long.

Elkhart County 4-H Fair Board President Trent Hostetler chats with host Sheila Selman about this year's fair, charging for grandstand seating, and how the pandemic affected the fair financially.

Host Sheila Selman is joined by Elkhart County Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait and division manager Melanie Sizemore for an update on COVID-19, the Elkhart County 4-H Fair and to talk about a new state initiative, My Healthy Baby, plus WIC and Healthy Babies.

Eric Kurtz, executive director of MCC Great Lakes, Goshen, talks with host Sheila Selman about the refugee relief work MCC is doing across the world, their work at the Mexican-U.S. border and the announcement that the Mennonite Relief Sale is a go for this year, Sept. 24-25. For those interested in taking a borderlands tour, contact Kurtz at EricKurtz@mcc.org.MCC's website is mcc.org.

How are vaccinations going in Elkhart County? Dr. Bethany Wait gives us an update, plus she talks about infection rates. We are joined this week as well by Hassen Hakim, the pharmacist and owner of Seifert Drug in Elkhart and Wakarusa, who has been taking teams to factories and companies to vaccinate employees.

Elkhart County Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait speaks with host Sheila Selman about the launch of a vaccination campaign in Elkhart County.

State Sen. Blake Doriot joins host Sheila Selman to talk about the 2021 legislative session, including his take on bills involving emergency powers of the governor and local health officers.Contact information for Sen. Doriot: email, S12@iga.in.gov; phone, 317-232-9808.Note: The pregnancy accommodation law will go into effect July 1, 2021. This law applies to companies with 15 or more employees.

The pandemic cut many people off from normal personal interactions, so two local women decided to start a book business to make women feel connected to each other. Maija Walter Stutsman and Aleah Dechant operate Shelfrighteous Book Box, a quarterly book subscription service that also includes an online book club. They even have boxes for youth. Listen in as they talk with host Sheila Selman about their venture.

Elkhart County Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait talks with host Sheila Selman about the current third wave of COVID-19 that is hitting Elkhart County, increasing hospitalization numbers and landing the county in level orange on the state metrics map.

Host Sheila Selman speaks with Andrew Hershberger about a survey being conducted by Triple P — Positive Parenting Program, assessing the needs of families and caregivers. Hershberger is director of marketing and communications for Horizon Educational Alliance. To take the survey, go online to 2021parentsurvey.com. The survey is in both English and Spanish. Horizon Education Alliance's website is heaindiana.org/ and you can find information about Triple P at https://www.triplep-parenting.com/us-en/find-help/triple-p-parenting-in-elkhart-county/

Elkhart County Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait joins host Sheila Selman to talk about the extension of Elkhart County's mask order and limits on public gatherings. She also talks about how vaccinations are going and Indiana's Senate Bill 5, which is going through the Legislature.

Elkhart County Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait talks with host Sheila Selman about Gov. Eric Holcomb's decision to lift COVID restrictions and leaving restrictions to counties; how she is weighing what to do in Elkhart County; and how necessary vaccines are in order to get back to a semblance of normalcy.

Dr. Bethany Wait talks about the latest in vaccines.

Elkhart County Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait talks with host Sheila Selman about the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine for COVID-19 and the impact it will have on getting life more back to normal. She also talks about the federal program to get teachers vaccinated.

Elkhart County Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait gives an update on COVID-19 vaccinations, explains her discomfort at a county commissioners meeting and what the near future could hold.

Elkhart County's new health officer, Dr. Bethany Wait, talks with host Sheila Selman about the COVID-19 vaccination plan for the county, what she would like to address in 2021 including fighting an increase in syphilis, and she talks about her own battle with COVID-19.

Goshen Schools Superintendent Steve Hope and host Sheila Selman talk about how COVID has impacted students, plus the plans immediately following winter break and the hope a vaccine now provides.

Goshen News Now host Sheila Selman talks with Majs. Tim and Sally Sell about the needs of the Salvation Army, bell ringing and how people can help.

Destiny Rescue is a worldwide organization that works with governments in rescuing children from the sex trafficking industry around the world. Spokesperson Chris Russell happens to live in Goshen. He stopped by the studio to talk with host Sheila Selman about the organization, how they rescue children from sex trafficking and how COVID has affected their effort.

Longtime educator Carl Rust has a new book, "Get Out of the Way and Let Kids Learn: How We Can Transform Schools and Reintroduce Natural Learning." He talks with host Sheila Selman about creating creative and critical thinkers, kids who can solve problems and be self-directed, but not through the traditional education model.

Elkhart County Republican Chairman Dan Holtz and Democratic Chairman Chad Crabtree join us this week for a talk about the General Election, their roles and a call for people to stop stealing campaign signs.

Nekeisha Alayna Alexis, the intercultural competence and undoing racism coordinator at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, talks with host Sheila Selman about facing and understanding racism and how healing can begin.

Leslie Weirich's son, Austin, killed himself in 2016. Since 2018, she has been speaking about suicide and telling Austin's story to youth throughout northern Indiana. In May, she founded ClearlyHope.org and recently added a website of the same name. She chats with host Sheila Selman about her initiative, Austin, daughter Hannah and why it's necessary to speak with youth about suicide. Also, at the end, we've included a song by Hannah dedicated to her brother, "Fight For You."

Elkhart County Health Officer Dr. Lydia Mertz explains what happened with schools a couple of weeks ago, what to expect with upcoming flu season and more in this week's podcast.

Elkhart County Clerk Chris Anderson talks about the preparations he and his staff are taking for this upcoming election that could see a high amount of absentee ballots cast.

Author Shannan Martin discusses with host Sheila Selman how people can love their neighborhoods and their neighbors during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Richard Aguirre, Community Impact Coordinator for Goshen College and co-coordinator of the Elkhart County Latino Pandemic Initiative, and Liliana Quintero, executive director of the Northern Indiana Hispanic Health Coalition talk about COVID-19 in the Latino community and the initiative's education efforts. They also talk about the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on DACA.

Current Elkhart County Commissioner Mike Yoder and challenger in the Republican primary, former sheriff Brad Rogers, answer questions on a variety of issues and explain why you should vote for them in this week's podcast.

What's the new normal with COVID-19? Elkhart County Emergency Management Agency Director Jen Tobey explains. Plus she talks about "The Annex," a secret location until recently. And she answers a few questions we've received from readers.

What will graduation and the new school year look like? We talk with Goshen Community Schools Superintendent Diane Woodworth about those topics, her retirement, elearning and a recent award she won in this week's podcast.

Digital Hill President and Goshen News columnist Mike Gingerich gives advice on keeping home offices cybersecure, plus making the transition back to the work office. We are still working remotely, so this episode was recorded through Zoom.

Lacasa Inc.'s President and CEO Chris Kingsley talks about the 50th anniversary of Lacasa, its beginnings, path and future during this week's podcast. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of Help-A-House. NOTE: This podcast was made before stay-at-home orders were issued, so celebratory events have been canceled or postponed.

Goshen Health's Chief Medical Officer and infectious disease specialist Dr. Daniel Nafziger says he's proud of his colleage's at Goshen Hospital as they combat COVID-19.

Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-2nd District, speaks with us about the $2.2 trillion CARES Act and what it means for Hoosiers.

The future of downtown Goshen, the growth of the city's industrial parks, diversity in industry and a lack of housing are discussed with Goshen Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Nick Kieffer in this week's podcast.

Goshen Hospital's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Daniel Nafziger, who is an infectious disease specialist, talks with us about the novel coronavirus, his expectations of its spread to Elkhart County and what people should do to mitigate the spread locally.

Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman talks with host Sheila Selman about changes to downtown Goshen, including angle parking, stop signs instead of stoplights, the Goshen Theater, the old jail and the courthouse. Plus we talk about East Goshen and Waterford.