A Wabash man was shot and killed Thursday evening as police were trying to serve a warrant as part of a drug investigation.

According to Sgt. Tony Slocum, Indiana State Police Public Information Officer at the Peru Post:

The preliminary investigation by Indiana State Police detectives revealed that at approximately 5:45 p.m. Thursday, officers from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) served a search warrant at 63 East Main Street, Apt. 3, Wabash. After officers made entry into the residence, there was an exchange of gunfire between law enforcement and the occupant(s) inside.

Two people inside the home appeared to have suffered gunshot wounds. Roger D. Hipskind, 37, was pronounced deceased at the scene. A 35-year-old women was transported to a Fort Wayne hospital. No officers were injured.

Members of the Metropolitan School District of Wabash County board met to conduct business on Tuesday Jan. 26.

Donations were approved for a total of $527.30. Recommendations were approved for the purchase of new school buses, as well as the Northfield senior class trip.

Also, during the meeting, the board heard highlights from schools in the district.

Southwood senior, Aaliyah Douglass, was congratulated for advancing to the Girls State Wrestling Finals on Jan. 15, where she finished in 8th place finish.

Senior Carson Rich was congratulated on scoring the 1,000th point of his basketball career on Jan. 22 against Tippecanoe Valley.

The Southwood girls basketball team recently received an exemplary behavior report from the IHSAA. The game official stated it was obvious that the Southwood coaching staff emphasized sportsmanship within their program. Sophomore Alaina Winer was honored for her positive attitude and outstanding sportsmanship.

Wabash City Schools Board of Trustees met for a special meeting on Thursday, Jan. 21 to establish criteria for the new superintendent.

Director of Curriculum and interim superintendent, Emily Tracy led the meeting while other members of the board followed along with the job description draft and gave input on wording and grammar.

A large portion of the session was used to establish the requirements of possible candidates, specifically pertaining to the level of education needed to apply.

Mayor Scott Long and the City of Wabash were named the recipients of Wabash Marketplace’s Downtown Legacy Award.

Long accepted the honor during the Jan. 25 Wabash City Council meeting. It was presented by Steve Downs, for whom the award was created last year. It is designed to honor Downs for his contributions to WMI and the downtown area upon Downs’ retirement from the organization.

The presentation culminated an update that WMI Executive Director Andrea Zwiebel gave the City Council on the organization’s highlights in 2020.

A new youth group has formed at The Access Youth Center.

The B Team meets Thursday afternoons at the Wabash Alliance Church. While designed to give youth at the Meadowbrook housing addition something to do in the afternoons, the program is open to youth from anywhere around the area.

The program is designed to help the youth realize there are many things that they can be, not just what others perceive them to be.

Participants receive a T-shirt with a giant “B” on front. The “B” is comprised of various words that the youth can be. For example, positive, strong, awesome, passionate, courageous, humble and a leader are some of the words on the shirt.

While the shirts denote the youth are members of The B Team, they also help in preparation for the next group meeting.

“The kids choose a theme each week, a topic each week, that they want the class to be over,” according to AYC Director Liz Hobbs. “Last night when we had youth group, they asked ‘Can we learn about be positive next week.’”

Wabash City School board members met on Jan. 18 to conduct business. During this meeting, the board heard an update from Stephanie Veit from Hagerman with a building project update.

Viet shared a video that highlighted the construction taking place throughout WCS buildings and facilities. The video included updates on L.H. Carpenter Elementary, the Coolman Gym, as well as the connector between Wabash High and Middle Schools.

L.H. Carpenter is set to be finished and inhabited by students and teachers within the next two weeks, while the other projects are still mid-process.

The Wabash County Sheriff’s Department has added nearly $180,000 in new equipment to better serve the public and to help make the Wabash County Jail more secure.

The department has added 23 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) so deputies can have one in their vehicles, Sheriff Ryan Baker told The Paper of Wabash County. It also has added a body scanner that can detect contraband that inmates may attempt to sneak into the jail.

“The body scanners aren’t really a new thing, but here recently a lot of county jails have purchased body scanners,” he said. 

“The body scanner is highly beneficial to stop any type of contraband from coming in.”

From Tek84, the scanner is similar to those scanners found at airports around the world.

“It takes a very low dose of radiation, X-ray if you will, of the body and can tell if there’s any foreign objects in or on the body,” Baker said.

On Friday, Jan. 15, the Indiana Department of Education released the 2020 state graduation rate, which increased from 87.29 percent in 2019 to 87.69 percent.

“This modest improvement in Indiana’s 2020 graduation rate is encouraging, especially as Hoosier students and educators have tackled unprecedented challenges throughout the pandemic,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. 

“As evidenced by data and research, we know a person’s educational attainment impacts their future quality of life, health, living wage employment and sustained earning. That’s why it’s critical we continue to increase the number of students graduating from high school, as well as encourage strategic K-12, postsecondary and employer partnerships to maximize lifelong success for every Hoosier student.”

The 2020 state graduation rate reflects the State Board of Education’s waiver of the Graduation Qualifying Exam requirement for the 2020 cohort, which could not be administered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.