Twenty fourth-grade students from area elementary schools were honored at a reception at the Wabash County Historical Museum on May 6.

These students wrote the winning essays about a person, place, or event in Wabash County history. The museum and the Wabash County Historical Society co-sponsored the contest. 17 finalists received a certificate; a youth pass to the museum and a movie pass to the Eagles Theater.

In addition, the top three winners received a gift bag from Wells Fargo Bank and cash prizes from First Merchants Bank, Crossroads Bank, and First Farmers Bank and Trust. The first place winner also received a year pass to the museum for his/her family.
 

   A couple of nice rain showers plus a few warm sunny days equals a bumper crop of strawberries. We have had perfect weather for raising strawberries and our garden is bursting with these red gems. This recipe for chocolate strawberry shortcake will require you to think outside of the box just a bit. Moist chocolate cake topped with fresh from the garden strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream will leave you wanting a second helping. You may never bake a traditional shortcake again.

On Friday, May 30, Wabash City Schools held their annual Employee Banquet.   Employees retiring from Wabash City Schools were honored.  The teachers retiring included O.J. Neighbours Elementary School teachers. Lee Arwood, 39 years, Stella Denney, 42 years, Cindi Parman, 25 years, along with W.C. Mills Elementary teachers, Carolyn Hannah, 34 years and Linda Heather, 26 years. Also retiring is Wabash Middle School teacher, Terry Oswalt, 37 years and Wabash High School   teachers, Connie Gorman, 42 years, Kim Oswalt, 38 years; Administration office Jan Roland, 22 years and Dave Ingols, 32 years and Area Program teacher, Paula Dyer with 35 years of service. 

The Wabash County delegates joined approximately   1,690 other  hoosier delegates at the 2014 Indiana Republican State Convention, on June 6-7, at the Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne. 

On Friday evening, the convention began with words from United States Senator Dan Coats, then Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus spoke.  The keynote speaker that evening was Fox News host and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Indiana Governor Mike Pence opened the General Session on Saturday morning, which was the Governor’s 55th birthday.  The 2014 Indiana Republican Party Platform, written by the Platform Committee, was overwhelming approved by the delegation.  Furthermore, three candidates for statewide offices were chosen.  Connie Lawson for Secretary of State and Suzanne Crouch for State Auditor were both unopposed and nominated by acclamation.  After three ballots, Kelly Mitchell won the spot for State Treasurer.  All three candidates will appear on the November 2014 ballot.

The 11 delegates from Wabash County who attended the convention were:  Bonnie Corn, Laura Cole, Rob Cole, Todd Dazey, Matt Dillon, Jack Ferguson, Sandy Ferguson, Louella Krom, Gary Nose, Barbara Pearson (County Chair)  and Bill Ruppel.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

When Myles Bartley came into the world, he was dealt a tough hand. Just two weeks after birth, Myles was diagnosed with End-Stage Renal Disease. Now two-and-a-half-years-old, Myles is hooked up to a dialysis machine every night for ten hours as he waits for a new kidney.

Myles is the son of Shawn Bartley and Sarah Rife. Sarah’s mother, Bridget Harner has been a custodian at Metro North Elementary for 18 years. After keeping up with Myles’ progress over the past two years, the school’s staff decided to get the kids involved to help the little guy. They told the students about Myles’ condition and started a “Smiles for Myles” fundraiser. For every $10 donated by students, a smiley face was put up on the bulletin board near the school’s entrance.

“They’ve been very excited about it, and when we kicked it off, Myles and his family came, and that was just neat to see him,” said Metro North Principal Janette Moore.

The staff set a goal of $500, expecting to hit it over the course of the last three weeks of school. That goal was surpassed on the first day. When Myles, his mother, and his sister, Veda, came back to the school on May 27, they were presented with a check for $2,035.49.

“They’re awesome little kids who actually, you know, did it,” said Sarah. “I think it’s crazy that they raised that much money just bringing in all of their change.”

“It sure was something to see the kids bringing their money in every morning,” said Bridget.

In addition, Northfield eighth grader Braelyn Deeter held a bake sale to benefit the little guy, raising $630.28. The Tuesday convocation gave Deeter a chance to meet Myles as well.

So far, Myles has had no less than six surgeries. In addition to his dialysis catheter, he has a feeding tube, which supplements his diet with additional calories. Currently, the family is waiting to see if Sarah is eligible to donate a kidney to her son. They found a perfect match who was willing to donate but was recently ruled out due to health concerns. Though this was a huge let down for the family, they are staying positive. Regardless of the donor, they’re hoping for a transplant this summer.

Until then, Myles will continue peritoneal dialysis at home every night. Myles has grown fond of his dialysis machine, but Sarah said that doesn’t mean it isn’t painful.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

On the evening of Tuesday, May 27, the Metropolitan School District of Wabash County’s school board met in the district’s administrative office to address a variety of subjects. Primary among these was the approval of a list of reading materials for use in the district’s secondary English classes.

The list sparked controversy in April when parents discovered that several of the books included objectionable content. After parents expressed concerns at the April 29 meeting, four selections were removed from the list. At the May 13 meeting, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls became the focus of the debate. The vote was ultimately tabled, as board member John Gouveia was absent due to a professional obligation.

While the previous board meeting was filled with concerned (and outraged) parents, the most recent meeting saw an abundance of teachers present to show support for the English department. Two parents commented on the book list, most notably, Teresa Sears, who offered suggestions for an alternative English class, among other things.

“I talked to Indiana State Education, I talked to an attorney, and we have a right to have the Bible, not as a biblical class, but as a literature class,” said Sears. “If we put these things in front of our kids… OK, we’re not going to ban books. That’s fine. I respect the teachers who want to teach it, but their morals are not my morals. It’s legal to have a class on the Bible as a literature study, and I’m just asking for that as an alternative. And I will back off, and they can teach whatever they want.”

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

After 25 years as a cashier at the south side grocery store, Bechtol Grocery employee Susan Pore retired.

“I’ve enjoyed it, and I’ve enjoyed all the customers and people that I’ve worked with,” said Susan. “They’ve just meant the world to me.”

Susan is a 1967 graduate of Wabash High School. She started working at the grocery store after her daughter, Melissa Lundmark, graduated from high school. Susan’s husband, Ron, retired from Ford Meter Box in 2011.

“He says I’m going to really mess his day up,” Susan joked. “His mornings, he had them all planned out.”

The Pore’s have one granddaughter, Bailey Lundmark, whose volleyball and softball games they are looking forward to attending. Susan is also looking forward to visiting her sister-in-law in San Antonio. She says her family is first and foremost in her life, and she’s looking forward to the extra time she will have to spend with them, but she’ll also miss working at the store she’s grown to love.

“I’ve done this so long, I just can’t imagine starting my day without it,” said Pore. “It’s just been a good experience, one that means the world to me. I won’t be running out that door. That’s for sure.”

by Emily Armentrout

Hipsher Tool & Die, Inc. will be celebrating the retirement of two of their employees with an open house and hog roast. Steve Leach and Greg Featherstone will both retire this summer, and the open house will be held June 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hipsher Tool & Die, Inc., located at 1593 S. State Road 115, Wabash.

“They have done a fabulous job in the years they have been here, “ said general manager, Julie Dahl. “Greg has brought in quite a lot of new business for us since he’s been here and Steve has done his duty and kept the shop floor moving,” added Dahl.

Greg Featherstone has been with Hipsher Tool & Die, Inc. for the past four years. He started working at Hipsher after working at Wabash Metal Products for 18 years as a design engineer.

“Jobs get old, especially for engineers. The time I have spent here has been fun. This is a great way to finish a career,” Featherstone said of his time at Hipsher Tool & Die.

Featherstone does mechanical design, pneumatic and hydraulic design along with quoting and other odd jobs.

“It’s a small business so everyone does a little bit of everything,” Featherstone told The Paper. 

Featherstone plans to spend the first year of retirement transitioning from a 40-hour workweek and doing some traveling.

“I’m just going to take a breath and take some of those vacations I haven’t been able to take.”