Macnchester Metals closed its doors after the first shirt on Wednesday, April 25.Photo By David Fenker

In an abrupt end to a 107-year legacy, Manchester Metals shut its doors before second shift Wednesday, April 25.

According to Manchester Metals employees, there was no warning, no notice whatsoever, before management hired an off-duty police officer to turn away second shift employees and inform them that the foundry closed.

Neither Manchester Metals administrators nor representatives from parent company United Stars returned repeated requests for comment before deadline.

A man who declined to identify himself at the foundry informed the News-Journal that there would be no comment “until the company is ready.”

Town and county officials indicated that the closure is permanent.

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

The Paper of Wabash County and Wabash WebTV interviewed candidates with contested races during a Meet and Greet event sponsored by Wabash County Farm Bureau on Tuesday, April 24, at the Wabash County 4-H Fairgrounds.

Republican candidates for the Wabash County Council Second and Third district seats, as well as all five GOP candidates for Wabash County Sheriff, answered a series of questions posed by The Paper and WebTV.

The questions dealt with a variety of topics, and each candidate received up to two minutes to answer the questions.

The Paper is running the answer to one question asked of each candidate. The interviews, in their entirety, can be viewed at The Paper’s Facebook page or on Wabash WebTV, www.wabashwebtv.com.

One of the questions asked of the sheriff candidates were asked about jail overcrowding. They were asked what can be done to stop the overcrowding at the jail, or is it time to build a new facility.
 

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

The Wabash County Council elected members for its budget committee during a short meeting Monday, April.

Matt Mize and Matt Dillon will serve on the committee, while chair Randy Curless will take former chair Jeff Dawes’ place.

Dawes replacement on the council, Barbara Pearson, was formally introduced to the public during the meeting. She will serve out the remainder of Dawes’ term, and has filed for election to that same seat for the May 8 primary.

Also during the meeting, a member of the public, Denny Grinstead, came before the board with questions about taxes.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

The Paper of Wabash County and Wabash WebTV interviewed candidates with contested races during a Meet and Greet event sponsored by Wabash County Farm Bureau on Tuesday, April 24, at the Wabash County 4-H Fairgrounds.

Republican candidates for the Wabash County Council Second and Third district seats, as well as all five GOP candidates for Wabash County Sheriff, answered a series of questions posed by The Paper and WebTV.

The questions dealt with a variety of topics, and each candidate received up to two minutes to answer the questions.
The Paper is running the answer to one question asked of each candidate. The interviews, in their entirety, can be viewed at The Paper’s Facebook page or on Wabash WebTV, www.wabashwebtv.com.

A questioned asked the County Council candidates dealt with the recent increase in property taxes experienced by local residents. The council candidates were asked what the council could do to ensure such large increases don’t happen again in the future.

Here are their responses:

Photos of old Roann High School baskeball teams will be hung on the walls of the Roann Public Library's Indiana Room. Photo by Joseph Slacian. 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

ROANN – The old Roann school will soon be a memory.
The hundreds of students who attended classes there will share stories of events that happened decades ago.

Those who didn’t attend classes, can still get a glimpse of what life was like back then, thanks to a collection of memorabilia housed at the Roann-Paw Paw Township Public Library.

A trophy case to the left of the library’s main entrance is home to several trophies various teams from the school won over the years.
 

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

A fatal police-action shooting involving North Manchester police officer Parker Stouffer on March 6 has been ruled a legally justifiable act by Wabash County Prosecutor William Hartley, Jr., and will not result in criminal charges.

Hartley reviewed the investigation by Indiana State Police regarding the shooting, which took place at 1601 State Road 114 in North Manchester.

Hartley concluded after an examination of the investigation, which included statements from civilian and police witnesses, an interview with Stouffer, the autopsy report, the toxicology report, photographs, body camera video, ISP crime lab reports, and the use of force policy for the North Manchester Police Department, that the use of force which resulted in the deadly shooting was warranted.
 

Kirk Short wipes awar tears from his eyes during the surprise ceremony Tuesday, April 17 at O.J. Neighbours Elementary School. Photo by Joseph Slacian

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

Kirk Short began volunteering at O.J. Neighbours Elementary School when his daughter, Olivia, was in kindergarten.

A decade later, Olivia is now in ninth grade. For several days a week, Short can still be found at Neighbours, helping with Kristi Clark’s first grade class.

On Tuesday, Clark gathered about 160 students – ranging from freshmen at Wabash High School to first graders at Neighbours – in the elementary school’s gymnasium to surprise Short and thank him for all his efforts over the years.
 

Benny Ward, Dennis White and Ned Vandegrift work to plant a tree near the Salamonie Welcome Center during Tree Planting Day on Saturday, April 21. Photo by Josh Sigler

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

ANDREWS – The 2015 flooding experienced in the Wabash County area took its toll on wildlife and vegetation alike.

Countless trees in and around Salamonie State Park met their demise to the extreme flooding, and in some places, trunks can be spotted broken off halfway up the tree, signifying just how high the water line got.

Salamonie’s Friends at the Upper Wabash Interpretive Services Group raises funds to put new trees out at Salamonie.

And, so Saturday, April 21, officials at Salamonie held a tree planting day to try to restock the dead trees as much as possible.