My Notre Dame Fighting Irish ARE BACK!!  We are going to roll through our schedule this year, completely erasing the joke that was last season!!  We are no longer the 3-9 team of old, ITS A NEW DAWN, ITS A NEW DAY!!  COLLEGE FOOTBALL OFFICIALLY STARTS @ 3:30pm SATURDAY!!  I'm so pumped I can't even sleep, but that's all for now!!  ~ Dudley OUT!  Prediction: Notre Dame 1000 San Diego St. -7!!

We searched for a way to get close to the 1940 Ironwood Dr. bridge, but had no luck. We settled for this long shot.

The Twyckenham Dr. bridge was ready for us, though, with a neighboring parking lot and easy shore access.

This bridge was built in 1929 and renovated in about 1982. I have memories of a crumbling concrete railing that did not survive the renovation, but at least the obelisk-like pedestals atop each pier did. The bridge extends over Northside Blvd.; this photo from there gives a good look at the metal railing that emerged from the renovation.

The water reflected beautifully off the concrete arches that morning. I climbed up inside the bridge a little bit to to get an inside look at the bridge's structure and see the reflected water too.

While I was busy looking at arches and railings, my son's Wii-trained eye quickly found this old-school Mario painted onto the abutment.

Where the Grand Trunk Western line crosses the river, the railroad built a bridge in 1938 that lifted the tracks over the Lincoln Highway, the river, and Northside Blvd. So many railroad bridges are just rusted steel, but Grand Trunk poured a concrete skin over the portions that spanned the roads and painted their name on each side. The white-on-black lettering on those spans form a classic South Bend scene that's as much a part of the city's identity as the East Race or the empty Studebaker plant. In the distance is the plain, modern steel bridge that sweeps Sample St. over the river to Eddy St. It is so not worthy.

My bridge thirst not quite slaked, we drove downtown to my favorite bridge in South Bend, which carries Michigan St. over the river. I've always called it the Leeper Park bridge, but I guess officially it's the Michigan St. bridge.

Designed in the style of the City Beautiful movement, this ornate bridge was built in 1914. It is five lanes wide, which is remarkable when you consider that even the best highways were two lanes of gravel then. This shot is from the river's south shore facing west.

There is [a] permanence to college football that is comparable to European soccer or rugby. True, sports teams in Europe have owners, but their sides are held in trust, beholden to the supporters and the communities that hold them dear. It is all but unthinkable that their teams could be moved as a result of an owner’s whim. Even in an age in which sport has become big business, there’s an identity and belonging that endures, rooted in a keen sense of place. College fans know this feeling, because it is their feeling too.

Read the whole thing. It makes me think back to the four years I lived in South Bend in my first job out of graduate school. Those Saturdays when there was a Notre Dame home game were horrible for traffic, and forget about having out-of-town visitors; but the whole atmosphere of the city had this happy charge to it (even in those beginning-of-the-end Bob Davie years), and the one home game I actually attended was one of the most fun experiences I've had. It made you glad to live in South Bend, which is not an easy thing to pull off.

It's easy to focus on those instances of college athletics where the sports programs have basically taken over the school, crossing the line from co-curricular to super-curricular. But college sports, football especially, remain a powerful means for students and communities to identify with universities in a way that you don't usually see with academics. And don't forget that you can't be dumb and be a good football player at the same time.

[ht Phi Beta Cons]

Here at Michiana Miscellanea you'll find a hodge podge of opinions, columns, information and, likely, arguments and heated discussions on everything from politics and sports to local music and happenings.  Take a look around and join the discussion.  Everyone has an opinion and we want to hear it.

Enjoy! (And, yes, I tagged this in Humor. Boo-yah.)

***

Nathan P. Origer - ORLH Disciplinary Conference Personal Statement

Part I:  A factual summary of the incident.

I am incredibly grateful to have the chance to write this, particularly in light of the glaring inaccuracies in the report read to me at my conference.  This report, a composite of two or more submitted to ORLH, was, in fact, so riddled with errors that I have no choice but to charge that one or all (I do not know how many people in fact submitted reports, but I would guess two -- one from the SBPD, and one from NDSP) of those who wrote these reports intentionally falsified them in order to justify inexcusable behavior and to cast the shadow of guilt on me, and not on those who failed in their positions.

On Friday/Saturday, March 24/25, I was on duty as an RA in Fisher Hall with Jordan Carrell; assistant rector Jeff Robinson was on as head staff for the night. Having finished our last round at 3:00 a.m., Jordan and I retired to our respective rooms.  I changed in to my pajamas and began to unwind when I heard sirens.  I looked out my window and saw what I believed to be an NDFD ambulance driving down the lane behind Fisher Hall.  (I never saw this ambulance outside, so I may have been mistaken, although it simply may have been parked where I could not see it.)  Afraid that perhaps some Fisherman had consumed too much alcohol and was in need of medical attention, and that for some reason those who called for medical help for him failed to alert the hall staff on duty, I grabbed the duty key ring and ran to the Fisher dock door.  I looked out and saw that the situation was at Reckers or somewhere even farther east.  Curious about the matter, I returned to my room, where I put a gray hooded sweatshirt over my t-shit and changed from sweatpants in to jeans.  I grabbed my wallet and my cellphone, and left my room.

I exited through the dock door and began walking toward the west side of SDH, where I saw a female NDSP officer whom I recognized but whom I do not know by name.  She explained that there was a fire at Reckers, and asked me to step away.  I complied.  I then noticed a girl lurking suspiciously near the south entrance to Fisher.  I walked toward her and took a seat on the bench by the back door.  Realizing that something was afoot, the girl began walking away.  I allowed her to walk a sufficient distance toward the northeast, across lot A10, and then jogged back to the dock door.  I stood in the elevator lobby and watched through the window in the dock door; she returned to the south entrance. 

I then jogged down the B-wing hallway and met her at the south entrance.  I opened the door and suggested that perhaps she should return to her dorm.  She turned her back toward me and waved her hand in a way that indicated her disdain toward my presence and my involving myself in the situation.  She walked away, again toward the northeast.

A few moments later, I returned to the aforementioned NDSP officer and asked if she had seen the girl; she told me that she had last seen her near the south entrance of Fisher.  I explained the situation to her, and then walked toward the northeast, so that I could view South Quad.  I saw the girl walking toward another region of campus (God, North, or Mod Quad), and returned to report this to the NDSP officer.  At that point she realized that I am a hall staff member, and asked that I remain outside to help to control the crowd.  She had called Fr. Rob Moss’s room, but received no answer.  I agreed to remain (although I saw no reason for control -- at least not in the Fisher area, where no more than a dozen people had at the time congregated).  (No more than thirty people, I would estimate, congregated in the Fisher/SDH/A10 area at any time.  Furthermore, I find it absolutely unbelievable that, as was mentioned by you, Mr. Shoup, either from your own estimate, or from the incident report, 2,000 students -- an entire one-fourth of our undergraduate population -- had congregated in the area during the fire.)

I took a position near the south entrance of Fisher, where a few residents were standing.  I asked them to step back a bit, and they complied.  I then encountered Richard Grant and two other individuals (I believe Scott Pollock and Jonathan Kidwell), all three law students (Richard also an AR in Keenan Hall) who had just left the room of AR Ryan Bradel.  Richard began to relate to me how Officer Bonnie (I apologize; I’ve only known her by this name, and never by her last name, which to this day I still do not know), unaware that he is an AR, asked why the gentlemen were approaching a car that has an AR parking sticker on the windshield.  Richard informed her that he is an AR in Keenan, and that it is his car.  She then told them that they could not leave because of the situation at hand, and asked them to step away from the vehicle.  Not long after I had this initial conversation with the gentlemen, Ryan, having been called upon to aid in crowd control, appeared on the scene.

Officer Bonnie returned to Richard, and they began arguing over the situation.  At one point I tried to step in and remind Officer Bonnie that Richard is an AR, and that perhaps they both could take a more relaxed tone in the very heated conversation, which I felt did not seem to be an appropriate discourse, on either individual’s part, for two members of the same team, so to speak, to be having.  She paid no attention to my comment, so I stepped back and allowed them to continue.  She demanded to see his student i.d. and he refused.  He turned to walk away; Officer Bonnie grabbed his arm and again demanded that he hand the card over.  He did, and then she began to walk away, northeast across A10.  

At this point, after the situation had come to an end, Officer (Cpl., I believe; but I am not positive) Chamberlain of the SBPD, who prior to this point had either been sitting in or standing next to his car, which he had parked a bit south-by-southeast of where we stood, charged over toward Richard, his flashlight shining in Richard’s face.  He began yelling loudly and angrily, uttering profanities (including the word “f**k”), and he called Richard an a**hole.  He made some vague threat of arresting “you all”, which I could not comprehend because at the time only Richard, and no one else, had in anyway had any sort of altercation with Officer Bonnie or any other representative of NDSP.

I was standing, at this time, at least five feet away from Chamberlain.  Between us were both Richard and Ryan.  I addressed Chamberlain in a loud, but reasonable tone, stating that I believed that his language was not the appropriate language to use in dealing with a representative employee of the University who, even if at first he had failed to comply with Officer Bonnie, in the end did as he was told.  (Perhaps if any communication had occurred between Bonnie and Chamberlain, the SBPD officer, now himself a contracted agent of the University, would have known that Richard is an AR, and might have handled things more appropriately, although, based on Chamberlain’s attitude and actions throughout the course of the event, I have my doubts.)  He responded to the effect of, “I can talk however the f**k I want!  I’m not a Notre Dame cop; I’m a South Bend cop!”  He did not, contrary to the report read at my conference, tell me that he would arrest me if I continued to speak.  I retorted with something to the effect of, “Well, I don’t think that your language is appropriate for a representative of the law.  So maybe you should get in your car and go back to South Bend.”  The only part of my statement that might have at all been out of line, I believe, is telling him to go back to South Bend.  Even saying that, in light of his own words (which seem to indicate a rejection of his being a contracted agent of Notre Dame, with the jurisdictional authority on the part of Notre Dame that comes with this status), I do not think was wholly inappropriate.  Having finished addressing Chamberlain, I took a step back, and this is when all hell broke loose.

As I said, we were about five feet apart at the time, perhaps even a bit more.  At this point Chamberlain charged after me; however, perhaps “bull-rushed” is a better word than “charged”.  He did not, as the report claims, tell me to put my hands behind my back because he was arresting me.  He simply attacked me.  At this point, my arms were already wrapped across my chest. I did not, as the report indicates, cross them in order to evade Chamberlain’s attempts to arrest me.  In no way, as the report and my criminal charge suggest, did I attempt to “resist arrest”.  I was never made aware of my being placed under arrest, and the only attempts that I made were in the name of my physical well-being.  Chamberlain is a large man, and he was basically tackling me, tackling me as I stood on concrete.  He knocked me off of my balance, and I had no desire to be tackled on the sidewalk, let alone to be tackled at all.  He then tightened his grip around me (and as a result ripped by sweatshirt at the neck), moved me to the grass, took me to the ground (all of his weight coming down with me), dug his knee into my back, and then, and only then, put my hands behind my back and cuffed me.  I had in no way posed any sort of physical threat, nor had I made any indication that I would be leaving the scene.  Nor did I ever intentionally evade any official act on Chamberlain’s part that he made known.  Yet he physically assaulted with me with no justification.  

When Chamberlain first charged toward me, Ryan attempted to stop him, but quickly backed away, before he too found himself injured and/or in custody.  By this time, Bonnie had returned to the scene.  (As far as I know, she had never actually walked too far away.)  Ryan addressed her, saying something to the effect of, “Bonnie, this is bulls**t, and you know it.  You need to do something.”  Bonnie replied that she could do nothing -- not even tell Chamberlain that she thought that his actions were excessive -- and did nothing.

This store burned down Friday morning. These photos are stills from WSBT-TV's coverage.

The roof is said to have caved in, which caused an exterior wall to collapse. One firefighter was injured when the wall fell on him; another firefighter was also injured fighting the fire. The fire is said to have leveled the building.

It's not like this building was a historic landmark. And judging by comments left by readers of the South Bend Tribune's article on the fire (which I'm not going to link because it will go behind a pay wall in a few days and you won't be able to read it anyway), the store was not known for cleanliness or neatly stocked shelves. But this grocery in all its incarnations has been a fixture in this neighborhood for decades, and it's sad to see it destroyed.

Isaac and I after church went to Martin's and I almost pulled in and asked for a half a pound of smoked honey ham! :-)

Polito's a beloved restaurant for domers and South Bend townies alike burned down! The cause of the fire, according to the WNDU article is unknown, and no was was killed or injured. This, of course, is not good news to the soon to arrive students, as Polito's was a quite popular destination for RA's section dinners. Also, many students (my self included) would take their parents there to have a meal, as it was a unique South Bend entity (and not another average restaurant chain!). It most often served as a nice guys night out place (when we were motivated enough to ACTUALLY venture out into the real world for dinner at a decent hour) as they had excellent pizza, and cheap beer. Perhaps Polito's most endearing item on the menu HAS to be their homemade Vodka Sauce!. It pretty much went with anything, but really hit the spot on pizza crust. I was looking forward to hitting up Polito's when I went back to visit! What a shame!

Kelly got married to a great guy named Jon a few years ago. He plays the organ. Recently, he got accepted to Notre Dame for grad school, which is awesome. However, that meant that he had to move to South Bend, Indiana, where Notre Dame is located. Which naturally meant that he took his wife with him ( though I did tell her she should just move into our spare bedroom, because I am much cuter and more charming than Jon).

But here is the thing. I miss her. It's not like we saw each other all the time and talked on the phone for hours each day and went shopping together before she moved. She lived in Tallahassee, and I live in Lakeland. But before, I always knew that if I needed her, she was only four hours away and she would come. If I started to miss her, I could get in my car and go see her for a weekend. But now I can't, because let's face it, I am not going to drive to Indiana. Now it is a trip that requires planning and time off of work and plane tickets. Which sucks.

So that is why I hate South Bend. Because it is so far away and not even all that cool, but it still gets Kelly.

I also had a chance to meet the new Principal, Mrs. Jill Van Driessche.

I really liked her.  Her husband went to Monroe at the same time I did (although he was two years older than me).  She pulled out his old yearbook and found my picture in Mrs. Killelea's 4th grade class.  Little Sammy...right there in the yearbook!

She has some big challenges ahead.  They are about to undergo a major renovation project.  But it will be good.  And I'm praying for her, for the rest of the teachers and staff, and look forward to seeing what God does in the lives of the students at Monroe because of the Living Stones Church.  I was thankful that she had already heard about us and some of the other things we had done.  She was gracious in our meeting.

On a related note:

• The South Bend School Corporation came to agreement with the teacher's representatives to establish a contract for the year.  Teachers haven't seen or approved it yet...but that is a good sign!
• If the interim Superintendent is doing a great job and qualified, hire him!  Don't bring a stranger into the corporation who neither knows our community, our students, our unique personality, our deep needs, and our resources, etc.  Let someone who has the community DNA in his blood lead (this principle is true of church hirings as well!).

CHICAGO - I’ve done a lot of travelogues before, and I have a bad habit of stating on the record that I intend to do an entry from somewhere. Most of the time I make myself live up to the promise, but every once in a while I forget, or the circumstances make it not possible.

I basically missed the whole of South Bend. We passed through a developed area a few minutes before arriving at the station, and I didn’t realize at the time that was it.

The route guide that Amtrak publishes (and it is a very detailed, well-written brochure) says that the Golden Dome at Notre Dame is visible from the left side of the train as you leave South Bend going east.

Since I’m on the right side of the train going west, I figured I’d be able to see it in some form. But I didn’t know that the station was so far from the campus, so I wasn’t looking for it at the right time.

So I’m writing this post from Union Station in Chicago, where I’m doing a big batch upload of photos from the ride out here. I’m also downloading a few podcasts to listen to on the way to Wrigley Field and wherever else I go today.

I’m really excited to be going to Wrigley for the first time. I grew up an Orioles fan, but I wasn’t really a baseball nut. But after moving to Philadelphia, I started following the Phillies. Then the Nationals came along, and I was hooked.

I’ve seen games in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and San Francisco. I’ve walked around Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium. But this is going to be something different. Wrigley isn’t just about the stadium itself, it’s about the fans and the neighborhood and the vibe of blowing off work on a regular basis to go to a day game. The Cubs’ success this year has made the atmosphere even more exciting.

So prepare for lots of pictures from today’s game, with Jason Marquis starting for the home team and Brandon Backe on the hill for the visiting Houston Astros. I’ll be back tonight from the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Ill., where I’ll be staying the next two nights.

I set the alarm clock on my phone for 6 a.m., and rolled out of bed not too long after that. The sun hadn’t quite risen yet, but we were pulling into Toledo. Which meant I had to make sure the window curtain was totally shut, and it was.

We were supposed to get to Toledo at 4:56 a.m., so between that and a few stops we’ve had since it looks like we’ll probably be an hour and a half late at best. That should still be enough time for a good batch photo upload.

The good news was that I had a high-speed aircard signal, so I logged on and watched a few minutes of the Germany-Brazil Olympic women’s soccer opener. The game ended scoreless, so I I feel a little better about leaving for breakfast in the 88th minute.

Breakfast is open seating, so I wanted to get there as early as possible. There was still a 20-minute wait for a table, so I walked all the way to the back of the train and took the picture you see above out the back window. We were just west of Swanton, Ohio at the time.

I then returned to the lounge car to wait to get into the dining car, and was called with three other people at around 7:15. All three were senior citizens; one woman who lives just east of Capitol Hill and a couple from Atlantic County, N.J. So there was plenty for us to talk about.

The breakfast choices were an omelette (plain, cheddar cheese or spinach and feta), scrambled eggs with potatoes or grits, french toast, or a continental combination of cereal and fruit. I went for the french toast and it was quite good.

I’ve just now tuned into the U.S.-Norway women’s soccer game and I see Norway is winning 2-0 in the 36th minute. I don’t know how the goals were scored but this is a pretty disastrous start for the United States. Without Abby Wambach it’s going to be hard to come back from a hole like that, even if there is a lot of time left.

I’ve lost the high-speed aircard signal, though, so I’m going to go back to packing and editing some photos on the computer. I’ve also got some reading to do.

I’ll probably check back in near South Bend. Apparently there’s a good view of the Notre Dame campus, and it’s also the point when the clocks get set back an hour.

Then the countdown begins to Chicago, and to my first ever trip to Wrigley Field. Plenty more on that to come.

On Friday, August 8^th, the League of Women Voters will host their monthly “Lunch with the League” at the South Bend Chocolate Café (Rockne Room). This month’s discussion will be on the Presidential Candidates’ healthcare plans, led by fellow LWV member, AARP (Divided We Fail) member, and longtime nursing activist, Pat McQuade. Program begins at 12:00 noon, but attendees are encouraged to come as early as 11:30 to order lunch.

This will be a good opportunity to share the Green Party’s platform on universal health care, which none of the other presidential candidates are including in their rhetoric. I will also have available copies of a July 15^th 2008 Newsweek interview with Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party’s Presidential candidate. In the article, McKinney speaks to many critical issues, including the ongoing war in Iraq and universal health care.

Pass this information along to anyone who may be interested in this important issue. This meeting is open to the public.

I have a lot of thoughts right now so I want to be careful in blogging because my thoughts are too scattered and I could easily say something I later regret.

BUT...That place is a complete bed of despair.  It is unlike any other area in the 46614 zip code.  It is truly a place that our community has overlooked, ignored, and/or forgotten.  The conditions are unbelievably bad.  In fact, the person I helped move was being evicted because she calledcode enforcement who sent a letter to Miami Hills.  The next day she was given a notice of eviction. 

And the blame is on EVERYONE!  This is not just a simplistic assessment of landlords who don't give a rip.  The tenants don't seem to give a rip.  The management doesn't give a rip.  Our city government/agencies don't give a rip.  Everyone seems to hold some responsibility:

• Our local government
• Code enforcement
• HUD (Housing Authority)
• Miami Hills owners
• Miami Hills management
• Social Workers who are in and out of there all day
• The Tenants themselves

I can't help but think it best for everyone to be relocated (if that is even possible) into other governmental housing, Miami Hills completely demolished, and then new apartments constructed.  I see little hope in what is, and very few "powers that be" that even care.

It is a pool of social injustice with complex and varied systemic issues that simply can't be solved by a simple band-aid.

Anyhow...there it is...disturbed and blogging at the same time.  What is the "good news" of Jesus for Miami Hills?  And trust me, they aren't worried about hell in the afterlife.  They are living in hell now!

Anyhow...got to hang out with some very awesome and fun pastors:

• Heath Hiatt (Church of the Heartland)
• Tim Boucher (Grace Community Church...South Bend/Mish. campus)
• Greg Frohna (Cornerstone Community Church)
• Jerimae Yoder (Worship Pastor for Grace Community Church)

One of my favorite things is to get with other pastors and just laugh...a lot.  We do that well.  Move in and out of the serious, the funny, the somber, the ridiculous, the spiritual - turning on a dime - like ADD kids on crack! (OK...that might not be the best analogy).  But, I love those guys and I love hearing what God is doing in their lives and in their churches.

And here is the key for me.  With this group there is no "spiritual-one-up-manship" going on.  I don't know if anyone knows what I mean by that, but if you saw it, you would recognize it.  It is obnoxious and on my pet peeve list.  Down to earth, honest with the good and the bad, attempting to walk faithfully with Jesus...the way it is supposed to be!

Just as I was leaving Heath asked if I wanted to see "the safe."  Tim said I needed to see the safe.  What do I care about a safe (unless you are going to open it up and give me a wad of cash!)?  So, I follow along to the basement of the JMS building (that is where Ugly Mugs is located).  It was like going back in time through a serious history lesson of South Bend!!  The JMS (named after John M. Studebaker) building used to be the offices of the Studebakers whose residence was just down the street on Washington (now Tippecanoe Place Restaurant...delicious!).  In the basement is the most ornate, beautiful, turn-of-the-century safe that the Studebakers used.  It was awesome!  It was like getting a tour of South Bend history!  Very awesome!

ps. thanks kim for the heads up

There are no words to describe the simmering impatience I have with elected city, county and state representatives who lack the foresight to include safe causeways for cyclists and pedestrians in every road project. Is there something inherent in a system that retains incumbents who must be constantly reminded that automobiles need not be our only means of transportation?

There are no words to express the seething frustration at our state laws that dictate only 3% of the monies collected for most speeding tickets stays in the city to pay our police. Where is the incentive to enforce speed limits when more than 70% of a reckless driver’s fine goes to Indianapolis?

There are no words to express the numbing shock at hearing the news that while riding his bike, Patrick Sawyer had been struck by a careless driver who initially, reprehensibly left the scene. Patrick was doing all the right things; he was riding with traffic, as he was legally entitled to do, he was wearing a helmet, he had lights on his bike, he was wearing bright, reflective clothing. These are the things all of us conscientious cyclists do, yet the chilling reality is it isn’t enough in the path of an unchecked, reckless driver on a street built by apathetic officials who consider only the automobile in their dealings with the road-builders.

Patrick Sawyer died as a result of his devastating injuries; there are no words to describe the heartfelt sadness for our community. We all lost a vibrant, energetic, creative and giving member of our fold and we are all the poorer for his passing.

There are no words to describe the deep sorrow I have for Patrick’s family. In the wake of a dreadful moment in time, Patrick leaves behind his beautiful wife, Nancy, and their four young children who will miss him desperately.

My friend Henry sent me an email of Patrick’s passing while I was in Rhode Island. From nearly a thousand miles away, he had forwarded a plea from Nancy for something good to come from Patrick’s death. All I can do is try to find the words to plead: if you are an elected official, please consider everyone’s safety when considering every public project. If you are a police officer, please reign in the reckless drivers. And if you are a driver, please, for the sake of all of us, for god’s sake watch where you are going. Give to all of us, your neighbors in this community, whether we are on foot, in a wheelchair or on a bicycle, the gift kindness and our mutual humanity.

My introduction to Patrick was when he spoke to the St Joe Valley Greens several years ago when he first came up with his idea for Paddlefest, an event to encourage the community to embrace our beautiful river as a place for recreation and competition. Patrick’s infectious enthusiasm, creativity and energy guided Paddlefest to become an event that attracted some of the best paddlers from across the country. Patrick was also a loving and dedicated husband and father who was just a few weeks away from completing his degree in nursing. I am so sorry for his loss to his wife, his children, our community and our planet.

There will be a fundraising ride in Pat’s honor next Tuesday night, July 29th. The ride will start from the Northpoint Elementary School in Granger, IN. There will be a prayer at 6 PM immediately preceding the ride.

The ride will take place during the regular Outpost Tuesday Night Ride, but will have the special purpose of generating contributions for the Patrick Sawyer fund. Cash, credit cards and checks (made out to “Benefit of Patrick Sawyer”) will be accepted the night of the event.

:::::

Visitation will be Sunday, July 27th from 1-5pm.

Hickey Funeral Home

17131 Cleveland Rd

South Bend, IN

Visitation will also be Monday 10-11am at Little Flower Church

54191 Ironwood Rd

South Bend, IN

Funeral at Little Flower Church Monday at 11 am

Luncheon will follow where we will remember Pat. Everyone will have a chance to speak about Pat, to celebrate his life, to give words of remembrance. We encourage all those who have memories and thoughts to share.

In lieu of flowers, please consider giving to the fund which is set up for the children: Danny, Joey, Tommy, and Laura. You can go to any Key Bank branch or send donations to:

Benefit of Patrick Sawyer

Key Bank

South Bend, IN 46601

I'll tell you why, ESPN and all the Domer faithful out there have some crazed obsession with ND, not to mention NBC (Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation).  They flat out shouldn't be in the top 25 at all! 

Let's see what they can prove first before putting them among the NCAA Division 1 elite.  Not to mention with their patsy schedule, with the exception of USC, who else do they play this year?  I forgot... they start off with the party school of the nation San Diego State, that should be a tough one - playing a bunch of beer bonging linemen.  And then they follow up with Michigan, who will probably dominate them if it's not the weak team that showed up last year against Appalachian State. 

Also, all those Domer fans that wanted to give Charlie and the Domer Factory another chance and a 10 year contract after almost beating USC, where are you now?  You Domer fans should be screaming for him to get the boot.

How much longer on this construction?!  It is miserable.  We (Living Stones Church) even paid for a billboard to go up on Miami and Ireland and if everyone is in their right mind from the south side of South Bend they would avoid this intersection like the plague! 

It feels like there is more construction going on in our streets than at any time I can remember.  Didn't the city just say it was going to layoff/fire 200 employees in the next two years including firefighters, police officers, and closing of major parks and recreation centers?