A Wabash attorney has drafted a measure he hopes will be considered – at least in part – by the Indiana General Assembly in the upcoming legislative session.

Dubbed “Nakota’s Bill,” the measure was written by attorney Alan Zimmerman in honor of Nakota Kelly.

A Wabash youngster, Nakota was killed in July, allegedly at the hands of his father, Anthony Dibiah, of Indianapolis.

Nakota went to his father’s home for his non-custodial parental visit, though he didn’t want to go. He told his mother before the visit that if he went, his father was going to kill him because he was upset that the boy had hung up on him during a telephone conversation.

Nakota’s mother, Hayley Kelly, informed the Indiana Department of Child Services about her son’s concerns, but believed she had no choice but to send him on the visit or face contempt of court charges.

While Nakota’s body has never been found, Dibiah has been charged murder. A February trial date has been scheduled.

Natalie Guenin Unger saw a need, determined a solution, and, working with her father, Mark Guenin, created 2B Shields to revolutionize a child’s travel experience giving children more protection and comfort.

In other words, Unger and Guenin have developed a product that keeps young children safer, physically and emotionally, and provides instant information to emergency providers in a crash situation.

Creating the shields began when Unger noticed the bulky car seat clasp in all the photos of her children, James and Cale, and she was concerned about keeping their clothes neat as they traveled; however, what she ended up creating is much more than a convenience item.

The shields are especially important for children with sensory or medical issues.

A mother of three, Kaitlyn Moss said, “A feature it has is this detachable plush toy on the front. They can play with it in the car. So, if you have a kid with sensory issues, which I do, the feature is huge.”

The Metropolitan School District of Wabash County board met on Tuesday, Nov. 10 to conduct business.

During this meeting, the board heard a presentation from Heartland Career Center director Mark Hobbs about the grant received in order to expand the HCC facility, after this presentation, the board approved the joint resolution regarding Heartland Career Center.

The board approved the following donations:

$200 from Downtown Nutrition, $200 from Hoffman’s Nursery and $300 from Triple LLL, Inc. all for the Northfield Girls Basketball team.

$350 from Midwest Eye Consultants for Southwood Elementary Activity Fund to be used for the 5th grade virtual presentation from author Wendy Mass.

The Heartland Career Center will likely be expanding in the near future.

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski announced a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to expand Heartland. The investment will establish a new facility to provide adult career training in health care and advanced manufacturing.

“Indiana is in a strong position to rebuild our economy because the Hoosier workforce is second to none,” Walorski said. 

“This investment in career training in Wabash County will open new opportunities in good-paying health care and advanced manufacturing jobs for Hoosier workers and drive new investment in our communities. I was honored to work with Heartland Career Center to ensure this grant was awarded where it will make a real difference in people’s lives, and I look forward to continuing to work together to renew the American Dream.”

According to the Commerce Department, the funding will be matched with $1 million in local funds to help create or retain nearly 150 jobs and spur private investment in a nearby Opportunity Zone. Created under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which Congress passed and President Trump signed into law in 2017, Opportunity Zones drive private investment toward economic development in economically-distressed communities nationwide.

Nearly 70 percent of the registered voters in Wabash County cast ballots in the 2020 General Election. In the end, as expected, the Republican Party easily won the contested state and national races here.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence defeated Democrat Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, 10,762-3,494. Libertarian Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen received 317 votes.

The Trump-Pence ticket, as expected, won Indiana, receiving 58.6 percent (1,583,196 votes) to Biden-Harris’ 39.2 percent (1,059,714) and Jorgensen-Cohen’s 2 percent (53,532 votes).

Gov. Eric Holcomb and Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch defeated Democrat Dr. Woody Myers and Linda Lawson, 9,111-2,421. 

Libertarian Donald Rainwater and William Henry, who outpolled the Democratic ticket, received 2,979 votes.

Statewide, Holcomb and Crouch received 58.2 percent (833,653 votes) to Myers-Lawson’s 29.6 percent (424,753 votes) and Rainwater-Henry’s 12.2 percent (174,583 votes).

"Let me just say at the outset that I had a very good conversation with Dr. Myers, and I thanked him for stepping up and stepping forward and offering an option - offering a real contribution for the conversation we're having as Hoosiers," Holcomb said Tuesday night.

On his Facebook page, Myers wrote, “I ran because I knew we could be better, and that we could do more— more for those who have so little, more for those who need so much.

Like so much this year, Veterans’ Day 2020 is different. Most gatherings, including the traditional ceremony at Living Well Winchester Senior Center, have been cancelled amidst health concerns. A beloved display that has in past years has been displayed at Living Well Winchester Senior Center has been moved to Living Well Downtown in the heart of downtown Wabash. 

The display was first put into action in 2003 when officials from Winchester Senior Center began looking for a meaningful way to honor veterans.

The Indiana Department of Health and the City of Wabash will continue to have a free drive-thru clinic for COVID-19 testing.

The clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Wabash Police Department garage, 1360 Manchester Ave., Wabash.

Testing will be available to all members of the public regardless of symptoms. Children as young as 2 years of age can be tested with parental consent.

“People won’t get out of their cars,” Mayor Scott Long told the Wabash City Council at its Oct. 26 meeting. “They will drive through. They will do a quick interview, and then another member of their team will come up and do the test.

“Fortunately, we were able to find a decent location, not in a congested area. It’s only congested first thing in the morning when the street department is leaving.”

Masks will be required for the testing.

Pastor Tom Curry, currently serving at Living Faith Lutheran Church, a part-time start-up church in Wabash, will soon be relocating to Victory Chinese Lutheran church in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Curry and his wife, Rhonda, plan to leave the States the first week of December for a five-year stint of preaching and serving overseas.

Curry has been involved with international mission work for 25 years. He got his start in 1993 during a county wide crusade at Huntington University.

“The Billy Graham Association helped to set that up and I worked with that,” he said. “One of the Billy Graham associates offered to use me doing some preaching in India for about two to three weeks, so I went and God just really touched my heart deeply there.”

After the short-term trip to India, Curry and his wife ended up moving there and serving for five years, from 2008-2013.

After returning to the U.S., they settled in Wabash, the county where they raised their family, and eventually began to serve at Living Faith.