by Emily Armentrout

emily@thepaperofwabash.com

The LIFE Center has had a busy and exciting summer with fundraising events, kicking off with their second annual golf outing in July at the Honeywell Public Golf Course. This year, 18 teams participated. Don LeLand’s team won the church division and the McKee team won the individual division. The outing raised $8,575, and proceeds from the outing went to the ultrasound account, which allows the LIFE Center to continue providing free ultrasounds.

During the Wabash County 4-H fair, the LIFE Center once again held their Precious Child contest. The first place winner Danika Landis, daughter of Jeremy and Rachel Landis. There were 38 contestants this year, and the contest raised $900. The proceeds from this event went to allow the LIFE Center to continue to purchase items that the center may run low on such as diapers, wipes, prenatal vitamins and office supplies.

By Emily Armentrout

emily@thepaperofwabash.com

The Industrial Business Complex, which sits on 135 acres of land in Wabash, has been selected as one of five properties in Indiana for Duke Energy’s 2013 Site Readiness Program. According to Duke Energy’s website, Duke Energy’s Site Readiness Program “provides funding and expertise to help communities identify, assess, improve and increase awareness of industrial sites in the Duke Energy Indiana territory.”

In an email to The Paper, , President and CEO of the Economic Development Group of Wabash County, stated that the “process and evaluation were essential to Wabash County becoming a community working towards continuous improvement.” Konyha also explained the criteria by which Wabash County and the Industrial Business Complex were evaluated. Categories like site characteristics, utility adequacy/capacity, transportation access and site costs were included in the site evaluation. The Wabash Northeast Business Complex received at 77 percent, with a 229.75 out of 300.

Bob Brown, EMA Director, announced that the Wabash County Emergency Management Agency will be offering an emergency preparedness outreach opportunity for Wabash County residents.  The program is known as Community Emergency Response Team or CERT.  Training will start Nov. 5, at 6 p.m. at the Wabash Christian Church located at the corner of Miami and Hill Streets.  Local volunteers from the community will form this new team that addresses emergency preparedness and disaster response in Wabash County. Current CERT members should plan to attend for refresher training. The class size will be limited to 22 adults.

Natural disasters such as severe weather, tornados, floods, winter storms happen throughout the year. Wabash county residents have experienced these weather related emergencies including an F1 Tornado that impacted the north side of the City of Wabash in October 2010 causing thousands of dollars in property damage.

A new committee under the Wabash County Chamber of Commerce and Wabash Area Ministerial Association (WAMA) is planning to take on some of the activities once performed by Operation Elf in Wabash County this holiday season. The committee has renamed this project as Wabash County Christmas Promise. The primary purpose of the committee is to create a venue for anyone in the local Wabash County area to assist other county residents in need to provide gifts for their children during the Christmas season. The committee will be accepting only new toys and clothing for the children. They are asking those that may have used toys to donate them to locations like the Lighthouse Mission, Wabash County YMCA, or their local churches. No coats will be accepted this year by the committee. Donations of such items would be widely accepted at the Lighthouse Mission and distributed to any child in need of a warm coat as the weather begins to turn colder.

Wabash County CASA Court program is pleased to announce a training session scheduled to begin soon for those who would like to serve as a volunteer. CASA volunteers are a voice in the court system for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. Volunteers research, investigate and give reports to the court.

Currently, there is a large waiting list of children who do not have a volunteer available. Their case continues without this valuable advocate who acts in the best interest of the children. While our goal is to have an advocate for each case, without willing people to step forward for the children, this does not always happen.

Volunteers must be 21-years-old, without a current CHINS (Child In Need of Services) case, and able to give around six hours a month. We screen, train and provide the materials and ongoing support for you to be successful.

If you have ever thought about becoming a volunteer, now is the time. There are children waiting.

Please contact the office at 260-569-0533 to set up an interview and receive your volunteer packet.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

In March of this year, a company named Banzai contacted Beacon Credit Union about a partnership opportunity to aid in students’ understanding of finances.

“Most, if not all, states have financial literacy built into their education system curriculum,” said Banzai’s Communications and Media Specialist Kevin Peterson. “The problem is that, with the tight budgets schools face, it’s hard for teachers to have the proper materials for teaching finance to their students.”

Banzai is a financial literacy program for junior high and high school students. It was awarded the “Curriculum of the Year” award by the Institute of Financial Literacy in 2010. The program uses real life situations to teach students about money management. It is the largest program of its kind, used by more than 5,000 schools in all 50 states.

 by Ashley Flynn

ashley@thepaperofwabash.com

Thousands walked through ancient Indian villages and military encampments as they traveled into history last weekend during the Battle of Mississinewa re-enactment. This annual event, in its 26th year, is the largest War of 1812 living history museum in the U.S.

Visitors experience the sounds, sights, scents and way of life as it was over 200 years ago.

Near the battlefield, spectators caught a whiff of gunpowder and held hands over their ears as canons blast and rifles fired. The War of 1812, a battle between American settlers, British troops, Canadian colonists, and Native Americans over territory control and trade restrictions, lasted two and a half years.

Indians who had been neutral began aligning themselves with the British and threatened the U.S. control over the Northwest Territory.

The Battle of Mississinewa began on Dec. 17, 1812, when Lt. Col. John Campbell surprised the first of four Indian villages, killing eight and taking 42 prisoners. The next day, approximately 300 Indians counterattacked. The battle took the lives of 12 federal troops, injured 48, and as many as 45 Indians were killed. Campbell’s troops hiked back to Ohio in knee-deep snow, resulting in 300 casualties from frostbite.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

The Honeywell Center’s Legacy Hall was filled wall to wall Thursday, Oct. 10 as the Wabash County Chamber of Commerce held it’s annual dinner.  Agro-Chem was honored as business of the year. Former Wabash Jr. High School teacher and local historian Ronald Woodward was named the 2013 Distinguished Citizen.

Following a dinner prepared by the Honeywell Center staff, and a musical performance by the 24 member Magic City Music Men vocal ensemble, Chamber President and CEO Kim Pinkerton addressed the crowd, stressing the importance of business adaptability in the face of disruptive economic forces and the changing consumer values, as the millennial generation becomes an integral force in the business world.