This Veteran’s Day, businesses are looking to honor veterans by offering discounts.

Locally, Ponderosa in Wabash is offering a free buffet and ice tea. If you’re in the mood for pizza, Pizza King is offering a 20 percent discount, while Goodfellas is offering a 10 percent discount. Veterans can visit Famous Dave’s, North Manchester, to get a special meal deal. At Subway, veterans can get a free six-inch sub or flatbread. McDonald’s will also be offering free meals. Houtman’s Friendly Computer Service is will cover half the cost of labor.

by Ashley Flynn

ashley@thepaperofwabash.com

Wabash County is in good hands. The county’s Emergency Management Program was recently awarded Emergency Management Program of the Year by the State of Indiana.

They scored a 352 out of 396 on an assessment that made them number one in the state out of 92 departments, leading by seven points.

“We knew we were in the hunt,” EMA Director Bob Brown said when asked if he was surprised about the award. “Anything over 300 usually puts you in the top 10 percent.”
 

The Honeywell Foundation, a public charity, recently announced plans to raise $8 million to benefit its mission of providing artistic, social, cultural and recreational opportunities for all. Campaign contributors will grow the non-profit organization’s endowment fund, which provides financial stability for the foundation and its many programs and offerings.

“The Honeywell Foundation relies on earnings from its endowment to provide our exemplary programs and offerings,” says executive director Tod Minnich.

“We are fortunate to have a loyal patron base that not only attends programs, but also provides philanthropic support,” he continued. “We appreciate all donations to the foundation, and this campaign allows supporters a way to make a most meaningful contribution that will benefit generations to come.”

by Nan Hammel

ISDA Resource Specialist

The Wabash County Soil & Water Conservation District will host a field day at the Wabash County Farm on Thursday, Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.  The focus of the field day will be cover crops and the new conservation practices that have been installed at the Wabash County Farm.  Jamie Scott will be there to talk about cover crops and the County Farm cover crop plot in the field south of the lane.  Jamie and his family are the owners and operators of J.A. Scott Farms in Kosciusko County near Pierceton, IN.  He and his family have coordinated cover crop aerial seeding in an eight-county area for the last three years, resulting in 16,000-planted acres.  Scot Haley, the NRCS Northeast Area Resource Soil Scientist, will be there to cover the topic of soil health as we look at different soil pits on the property. Andrew Parsifal, an NRCS Agricultural Engineer from the Huntington Technical Service Team, will present on the design of the drainage water management system installed at the County Farm.

by Kalie Ammons

kalie@thepaperofwabash.com

In January of 1913, a group of people who believed in “the present and its opportunities, in the future and its promises [and] in everything that makes life large and lovely” came together to create the Indiana Home Economics Association. Fifty-three years later, the group changed their name to the Indiana Extension Homemaker’s Association, and they still hold true to these values.

The group has learned practical lessons from the start. Common lessons years ago were hat making, sewing, butter churning and operation on a budget. New lessons consist of: the use of credit/debit/gift cards, ID theft and account fraud, foods - the healthy way, and human development.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

For Bonnie Reed, Hoosier Point was more than a landmark. It was her work. It was a “jumpin’ truck stop,” and a restaurant full of memories. Above all, it was a gathering place.

“Everybody gathered at Hoosier Point,” said Reed. “It was like a big family.”

Part of what made it like a family for Reed was the fact that much of her family worked in or near the diner. She was employed at the restaurant on multiple occasions. Her husband managed the filling station next door. Her brother and daughter each managed the restaurant at different times. Reed’s father, Fred Hamilton, owned a garage across the road where he worked as a mechanic much of his life.

“It was a home away from home,” said Reed.

On Monday, Oct. 28, the SCS Environmental Contracting excavator engine was fired up and the walls of the historic structure came crashing down.

The landmark was built by Manuel and Ruth Leach in 1958. Half of the building was their home, while the other half housed their business, Leach’s Ice House. The building housed the couple and their two sons, Steve and Donald, for four years. Manuel eventually sold the building to National Oil & Gas, who leased it to every restaurant owner since. The company owned the building for more than five decades and made the final decision to have it demolished after a kitchen fire this past summer.

by Kalie Ammons

kalie@thepaperofwabash.com

Looking for a safe and fun way to celebrate Halloween with the kids? Look no farther than Chippewa Street (Roann’s “main drag”). The community will be closing off the street and filling it with family-friendly activities from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31.

The Community Building will be serving hot dogs, chips and drinks for those stopping by. There will be children’s games, a bounce house, a cakewalk and a chance to look inside the old cabins and jailhouse and plenty of treats. Hayrides will also be offered.

A costume contest will take place at 6:30 p.m. Participants (up to seniors in high school) will march down the center of the street to show off their costumes.

by Ashley Flynn

ashley@thepaperofwabash.com

Indiana American Water joined the Wabash community leaders and partners in a ribbon cutting ceremony last week for a new 750,000-gallon elevated water storage tank at the city’s Wabash Business Complex.

This $2.2 million project was a collaborative effort between Indiana American Water, the City of Wabash, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Group of Wabash County, and is part of a larger $6.2 million initiative to place necessary infrastructure to the new complex.

“The placement of the new tank here was the result of a beneficial alignment of parallel interests. We were looking to add elevated storage capacity to our Wabash system and we were aware through our relationships with the Wabash EDG and the Mayor's office that the City was pursuing development of the business park at this location,” Joe Loughmiller, Indiana American Water External Affairs Manager told The Paper.