Bernita L. Miller, 89, died April 17, 2020, at Mennonite Memorial Home in Bluffton. Bernita was born Nov. 4, 1930, in Cridersville to the late Bernard and Alvina (Zweibel) Winget. On Nov. 4, 1951, she married Marvin "Bud" Miller who preceded her in death on Feb. 27, 2013.
Ten members of First Mennonite Church, Bluffton, traveled to the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, last month to learn more of the social, economic, and political significance of migration in border communities.
The group included Fran Core, Melissa Friesen, Theda Good, Monica Harnish, Lynda Nyce, Jan Wiebe, Theo Andreas, and Paul, Laurel, and Ana Neufeld Weaver.
Constance F. “Connie” Kindle, 79, died on Thursday, April 16, 2020, at 8:08 a.m. at the Mennonite Memorial Home, Bluffton.
She was born on March 29, 1941, in Greenup, Kentucky, to the late Silas and Fannie Shepherd. On Jan. 19, 1957, Connie married James L. Kindle, Sr. and he preceded her in death on June 4, 2016.
Connie held a few jobs in her lifetime, but especially enjoyed her time as a homemaker. She was a member of the Liberty Baptist Church of Ada.
Bluffton council approved two EMS promotions on Monday.
Jan Basinger, EMS chief, recommended to move Holly Bertka from assistant chief to captain and to move Rick Skilliter to assistant chief.
Basinger told council:
“Holly is a valuable officer and handles secretarial work and is treasurer of the department.”
“Rick has been doing our training for years and this requires many hours of work and he has never been compensated for it. He is a tremendous help through this pandemic and is a very valuable resource to the community.”
Tivity, AARP, and Silver and Fit have agreed to continue to pay Bluffton Family Recreation for member check ins, according to Amy Byers, BFR sports coordinator.
"This is wonderful news to us right now as we have no other revenue currently," she said.
"So, if you have one of these membership types be sure to email us at [email protected] to let us know when you have been active.
Jan Basinger: "We send only two EMTs in the squad and follow it with the old police cruiser with one or two additional people as available, to assist the squad if needed"
Bluffton EMS calls have dropped since the COVID-19 outbreak, according to Jan Basinger, EMS chief. He reported this information to Bluffton council on April 13.
Basinger said that the EMS staff now wears masks and gloves on every call received. This is the minimum protective clothing worn.
“We send only two EMTs in the squad and follow it with the old police cruiser with one or two additional people as available, to assist the squad if needed,” he said. “This hopefully reduces our staff to the potential exposure to the virus. It also preserves the staffs PPE.”
As of 2:20 on Thursday the story, also posted on the Icon Facebook has experienced 58,872 reaches, had 8,748 people engaged with the story, had 457 shares, 411 "likes" and 39 comments.
Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce added a new membership benefit earlier this month, according to Paula Scott, chamber CEO.
Sole proprietors may now enroll in SOCA Benefit Plan MEWA starting July 1. The broker community has already received instructions from Anthem regarding new case submission. Quoting starts April 20.
An eligible sole proprietor must:
• Meet underwriting requirements.
• Work more than 30 hours per week (documentation required).
• Submit a cover page for Form 1040 with Schedule C or Form 1040 with Schedules F and SE.
The Bluffton Farmers Market has developed a novel way to open despite the Novel Coronavirus' affect on local businesses.
According to Greg Probst, market manager, "We plan to open the market as scheduled on Saturday, May 2."
However, it won't be business as usual. Probst is considering a drive through market where you place an order by phone and pick up packages at the curb.
Watch for developments on the Icon.
In other chamber-related news, the 49th annual arts and crafts festival has been cancelled and vendors will receive refunds.
