By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

The Wabash City Schools board approved creating an education foundation for the district.

While creating foundation was unanimously approved Feb. 6, it still is not a reality.

Superintendent Jason Callahan and board attorney Jordan Tandy are exploring various options for the foundation, and will present a recommendation when the study is complete.
 

By The Paper staff

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson introduced an updated Indianavoters.com website on Thursday, Feb. 8.

The newly updated website has streamlined the voter registration process, enables voters to share they are registered on social media and will provide election night results.

“I encourage all Hoosier voters to visit IndianaVoters.com to register to vote, educate themselves on who they’ll be voting for and where they’ll be voting,” said Secretary Lawson. “An informed electorate is the key to a successful democracy so I encourage all voters to take advantage of this tool.”
 

By David Fenker
david@nmpaper.com

Several members of the Lagro Canal Foundation appeared before the county commissioners Feb. 12 to ask for assistance.

The foundation, formed in April 2017, seeks to revitalize the Town of Lagro by restoring three of the town's oldest buildings – Citizens Bank of Lagro, the Masonic Lodge and the IORM (Improved Order of the Red Man) – all located in a row on Washington Street.

Beth Gillespie, president of the foundation, informed the commissioners that an anonymous donor offered a $20,000 matching grant to help put roofs on the buildings, a project which she said is estimated at $50,000 total.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

Wabash County Republicans will have one county-wide race to decide in the May 8 Primary Election.

Some GOP voters also will have Wabash County Council races to decide, as well as at least four local township races. They also have a race on the state and one on the national level to decide.

Democrats, on the other hand, have no local races on which to vote. However, there is a full field of Democrat candidates vying for a chance to run for the U.S. House of Representatives on the November ballot.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

Wabash City Schools has approved a new operating agreement with the Heartland Career Center.

The school board, at its Feb. 6 meeting, unanimously approved the new agreement, which began in 1965 and was updated once since then.

“The state had talked about … you need to update the agreement,” Superintendent Jason Callahan told the board.
One of the things that came up, he said, was back in 1965 school funding was almost exclusively done with local taxes.
“As you know, only about 30 percent of our budget is built on local taxes,” he continued. “The rest is state level and based, really, on our number of students. Our calculation was that 65 percent of our budget was built on A Daily Membership, which is our students, and then 35 percent built on AV (assessed valuation).

Under the new agreement, City Schools budget is now 75 percent based on ADM, with the remaining 25 percent coming from assessed valuation.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperowabash.com

The Stellar Community Development Program is taking a regional approach under changes announced in late January by Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and officials from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

The revamped program will emphasize collaboration between neighboring towns, cities and counties.

“We are all a part of this great state, and through the regional Stellar Community program, we must continue to improve our neighborhoods and encourage a partnership between communities,” Crouch said. “Through OCRA’s Stellar Program, we are supporting initiatives to attract, retain and develop talent in and around Indiana, and to do this our communities must work together.”
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

In the mid 19th century, a group of actors looking for a way to socialize with one another formed the organization known as The Jolly Corks.

When one of the founding members died, the group moved to become a charitable organization to help take care of the fallen member’s family. Deciding the organization needed a more formal name, the group debated as to whether to call themselves the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks or The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffalos. By an 8-7 vote, the Elks name won and, on Feb. 16, 1868, the B.P.O.E. was created.

This week, more than 1,900 local lodges around the United States and its territories, including the Wabash Elks Lodge No. 471, will be celebrating the organization’s 150th anniversary.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

For the third time in less than 18 months, a project in the City of Wabash will benefit from a crowdfunding campaign sponsored by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority through the CreatINg Places program.

“All Hoosiers deserve the same opportunities, regardless of background, economic status, or physical and intellectual challenges,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, who serves as board chair of IHCDA. “There are more than 100,000 Hoosiers that have an intellectual or developmental disability. This playground ensures that all individuals can enjoy it."