by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

On Thursday, Feb. 13, the Wabash County Sheriff's Department received a call concerning a two-vehicle, head-on collision, which occurred on S.R. 13 just south of 100 N., in front of 13-24 Drive-In.

According to a press release from Sheriff Bob Land, initial investigation indicates that a silver Pontiac Grand Am driven by Timothy R. Forbes, 44, Wabash, was northbound on S.R. 13 when it collided with a white QSI Inc. van driven by Glen E. Sheveily, 58, Huntington.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, the Indiana Department of Transportation announced that Wabash is among the rural cities, towns and counties to which it is awarding $86 million in federal transportation funds.

This announcement came after Mayor Vanlandingham and Wabash City Street Department Superintendent Scott Richardson made a presentation to the Fort Wayne District of INDOT on Jan. 6 in hopes of acquiring funding for the second phase of the Alber Street Project. On Wednesday, it was released that the City of Wabash would receive 80 percent of the project’s cost from the state, totaling more than $1.6 million.

The Alber Street Project is a $5.6 million expansion of the street on the city’s north side. It will include widening the road to include a parking lane to the east, adding a sidewalk adjacent to the parking lane, and installing new curbs, gutters, and a sewer system.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

For country music fans, Friday night’s concert at the Honeywell Center was one to remember. For anyone unimpressed by Evans’ many awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year, her live show erases any doubts that she is among the best country music artists of her time.

The concert began with an acoustic opening act, with Cheryl LuQuire behind the microphone accompanied by a single guitar. The played a short set in front of the Ford Theatre’s red curtain, LuQuire’s southern accent and charm coming through. The unassuming opening act was a perfect contrast to the main event, as floor-to-ceiling backdrops, hundreds of colored lights, loud electronic instruments, and seven performers took the stage to declare before a single word was spoken that Sara Evans was in the house.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

Thursday Night Blues is back in action Feb. 13 as Chicago native Tim Cavanagh takes the Eagles Theatre stage at 7:30 p.m. B.I.S.C. B.O.Y.S. will continue the series on March 13, followed by Michael Palascak on April 17, but Cavanagh’s show will be the first in the series of the comedic performances as the winter comes to an end and a (hopefully) warmer spring begins.

Cavanagh grew up on the south side of Chicago. This makes him a white sox fan, which he says, “nobody chooses to be…you’re born into it.” Growing up, Cavanagh says he didn’t have much of a problem with bullies, because of two very useful skills, which he still possesses.

“I’ve always used humor. That’s how I survived as long as I have,” said Cavanagh. “I’ve been able to be funny, and I can run fast, so those are two really important skills that I had growing up, so I didn’t have any bully problems.”

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

Wabash Marketplace celebrated past accomplishments and looked toward the future during their informal annual meeting Thursday, Jan. 30. The group of nearly 50 met at Marelli’s, the recently opened boutique located at 35 W. Market Street, before heading to the convention and visitors bureau welcome center for drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and a brief business meeting. After serving as Wabash Marketplace president for several years, Parker Beauchamp passed the torch to Wabash City Schools Superintendent Jason Callahan.

“I kind of looked around and thought about who was best positioned and who I trusted the most to follow, and he was obviously my “A” pick,” said Beauchamp. “He’ll do a really, really good job.”

After steering the Marketplace ship for half a decade, Beauchamp saw this as the perfect time to hand the reigns to Callahan.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

Country music star Sara Evans is coming to the Honeywell Center Friday, Jan. 7., just two months before the release of her seventh studio album “Slow Me Down.”

One of seven children, Evans got an early start on her music career, singing in her family band from the age of 5.  A Missouri native, Evans lived in Nashville for most of her career, releasing her first studio album Three Chords and the Truth in 1997. Her second album, No Place That Far, earned Evans her first Gold record, it’s title track climbing to the number one spot on the Hot Country Songs chart.

After a short stint on Dancing With The Stars, Evans filed for divorce in late 2006. She remarried in 2008 and currently resides outside Birmingham with her husband and three children.

Provided by the North Manchester News Journal

A North Manchester bank robbery ended with the suicide of the suspect on the night of Friday, Jan. 24.

Shortly before 6 p.m., David John Mills, 22, Columbia City, armed with a handgun, entered First Financial Bank on 106 N. Market Street in North Manchester and demanded money.

Moments later, Mills exited the bank with approximately $14,000, according to Sergeant Tony Slocum, Public Information Officer for the Indiana State Police Peru Post.

The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress released at a report by the Office of the Surgeon General. According to the report, 151,000 Indiana youth will become smokers and die prematurely. This is 9.5 percent of teens ages 17 and younger, almost one of every 10 Hoosier kids. The new report calls on Americans to make the next generation tobacco free.

"We will continue to work to support policies that protect our community members from the dangers of tobacco use and secondhand smoke," said Dan Gray, director of the Wabash County Tobacco Free Coalition. "This report is a call to action that we must act now to prevent our children from becoming addicted to tobacco."

The new report updates estimates on the human and financial tolls of the cigarette smoking epidemic, finding that it kills close to half a million Americans a year and costs more than $289 billion a year in direct medical care and economic loss. In just the last 50 years, 20 million Americans have died because of smoking.