A Medication Assisted Treatment clinic program will open at Parkview Wabash Hospital sometime in 2020.

The clinic is made possible thanks to a nearly $725,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration. That will allow Parkview Behavioral Health to expand opioid treatment programs not only in Wabash, but in Huntington and Whitley counties as well.

Parkview’s MAT program began in 2018, thanks in part of a $1.5 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The goal is to establish an integrated system of MAT clinics, consisting of an urban hub and rural spokes located strategically throughout northeast Indiana to combat abuse disorders, including opioid abuse disorder.

The program also is designed to create collaboration with the court system, jails and community providers.

“We are thrilled that Parkview Wabash Hospital will be able to begin providing Substance Use services to the residents of Wabash County and beyond,” Parkview Wabash President Marilyn Custer-Mitchell told The Paper of Wabash County. “We know there is a need in our region and are working on several initiatives, including the establishment of this clinic to address that need.  Medication Assisted Treatment is an evidenced based treatment that shows great success and we look forward to partnering with all the agencies and organizations already working on combating this disease.”

Shopping second hand has become a major trend in recent years due to vintage hunters and resellers storming local thrift stores.

The benefits of shopping second hand do not end with cool finds or being able to flip items online for profit. Thrifting helps to stall the fast fashion industries, which has positive impacts socially, environmentally, and economically.

“Fast Fashion” is the concept of clothes being provided quickly and as cheaply as possible to consumers.

Economically, for example, the world GDP is expected to increase 400 percent by 2050, which means a higher demand for clothing.

Environmentally, making clothing within the cycle of fast fashion, it takes 2,700 liters of water to make a single cotton shirt. That is enough drinking water for one person for 2 1/2 years.

Socially, according to nonprofit Remake, primarily female garment workers in Bangladesh make around $96 a month, which is only about a fourth of what the government’s wage board suggest is required to live a “decent life with basic facilities.”

MSD principals shared their school improvement plans at the MSD school board meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 28.

All improvement plans had an overall focus on professional development and increased student satisfaction through academics, activities and extracurriculars.

Southwood Elementary principal Phil Boone shared that there were 30 instances over this summer that teachers and staff took advantage of professional development opportunities.

“We are very proud of our lifelong learning modeling from our teachers,” Boone said.

Southwood Elementary is also making it a priority this year to focus on the social and emotional learning aspect for students.

“[Our student’s] minds are deep in formation in those formative years,” Boone said.

Boone also shared about the robotics team and STEM program that is being implemented.

The Roann Covered Bridge Festival will be taking place Thursday, Sept. 5 through Sunday, Sept. 8.

Activities will take place from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Thursday, 5 p.m.--11 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.–11 p.m. Saturday, and noon–4  p.m. Sunday, which a community church service at 10:30 a.m..

The theme for this year’s festival is “Rollin on the River,” Donna Harman, coordinator of the festival told The Paper of Wabash County.

“We are sure hoping for better weather than last year when it rained out most events,” said Harman. “We are thankful to have our community building as a backup for the bands to perform there. We had a full house in there last year for The Sounds of Summer group concert.”

Harman deemed the band as the best band they have ever had.

The Wabash County Social Sports Club will begin later this month at the Wabash County YMCA.

The idea behind the program is to take games many played in their backyard as youngsters and put completely new spins on them.

“This was an idea that, since I’ve moved into town, I’ve been looking for ways to fill a need in the community,” CEO Dean Gogolewski told The Paper of Wabash County. “It’s a population the Y really was community.”

The existing adult sports leagues, he said, were getting a bit too competitive.

“We needed to change that,” Gogolewski continued. “So, in order to change the culture, we needed to change the whole scope of the adult sports landscape.”

The new program also will help to engage some of the community’s young professionals and other working individuals in the community.

A former Miami County sheriff is seeking the Indiana Senate seat formerly filled by Randy Head.

Tim Miller announced his plans to seek the District 18 seat “after prayerful consideration and discussion with my family, friends and some community leaders.”

Head, who was first elected to the Indiana Senate in 2008, resigned effective Aug. 12 to become Pulaski County’s chief deputy prosecutor.

“Currently, the senate does not have a former sheriff on the team,” Miller said. “With some of today’s pressing issues, such as school safety and funding, mass shootings, gun control, jail overcrowding and many more, I believe my experience in law enforcement, leadership positions, business and administration would be beneficial to representing our communities.

Nearly 200 people had input last week on what needs to be done to stop Wabash County’s population decline.

In the end, a combined 195 people attended meetings in Wabash on Tuesday, Aug. 20, and North Manchester on Aug. 22, deemed it important to maintain a competitive public K-12 education system to help stop population loss.

Their input was just part of the meetings that discussed a study on the decline that was commissioned by the Community Foundation of Wabash County and Grow Wabash County. It included findings prepared by Amanda Lopez, president of Transform Consulting group. The consulting firms of Make No Small Plans and Becker Consulting also worked on the study.

The county’s population peaked at 36,582 in 1980, and has declined 14.05 percent since then, and is projected to continue through 2050.

In the end, Mark Becker of Becker Consulting, told the audience that there is no magic bullet to stop the decline. Rather, he continued, local leaders should focus on what they can control.

A young child’s squeal of glee Sunday afternoon was all Shelly Myers needed to know that Friendship Hill was a big hit.

Friendship Hill, the city’s inclusive playground, was dedicated during a brief ceremony that saw Matthew Hipskind and Cason Myers cut the ribbon made of paper chains.

The park was then open to the public to enjoy, and that is precisely what they did. Youngsters of all ages and of all abilities took to the swings, the slides and other play things, smiles on their faces.

The park, a dream of Myers for five years, was part of the city’s Stellar Grant program. It is located on South Carroll Street, adjacent to the John Drook Skate Park.