Wabash City Schools' elementary school Kathy Swan Award winners included Sawyer Cantrell, Briar Stoffel, Sutton Stoffel, (not pictured) Nicholas Campbell, Kyndall Shear and Lily-Ann Abshire. Photo by Josh Sigler

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

Wabash City Schools honored its elementary school Kathy Swan Award winners during the May 6 board meeting at O.J. Neighbours Elementary School.

Kathy Swan was a revered teacher in the Wabash City Schools system who tragically lost her life in a 2005 plane crash.

“She really had a heart for the kids,” Superintendent Jason Callahan said. “Kathy was a dedicated servant to the students. Out of that tragedy, we wanted to do something in Kathy’s memory, so we created this award. We love this award because the recipients of this award receive it without ever knowing about it. There’s no application process. Every year a child in every grade level from kindergarten to 12th grade receives the award. They receive it by being nominated by their teachers.”
 

By Wade Allen
news@thepaperofwabash.com

A Wabash County native will return to the area with book signings on the release of her second novel. 

Melody (McVicker) Deal will hold gatherings for her second book, “The Shelter of the Dove’s Wings,” on Sunday, May 19, and Monday, May 20.

The Sunday book signing will be from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. at the Troyer Memorial Library in LaFontaine. The Monday book signing will be from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at the Tree of Life Bookstore in Marion.

This is Deal’s second Christian fiction novel.

“My first book signing was a great experience and I received such wonderful support. It is nice to be able to return home with my second novel for another signing,” Deal said.

Deal has always admired writers throughout her life, but did not expect that she would one day be an author with two novels to her credit.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

The Paper of Wabash County, in conjunction with Mike Martoccia, National Director of Digital Marketing and Sales for Wehaa, will host several free digital marketing workshops next week.

Workshops are scheduled for 2 and 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, and 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 15. Tuesday’s workshops are in the Honeywell Center’s Honeywell Room, while Wednesday’s events are in the Center’s Nixon Room.

“Anytime that the community has an opportunity to learn more about the digital world around us, they should take advantage of it,” according to Andy Eads, director of Digital Plus Marketing for Hometown Media. “Digital marketing has made the transition into all facets of business over the years. Finally, the smaller businesses can play on the same level that the big box stores work on.

“The consumer search for everything on their phone, even if it is only a half of a mile away. If we can provide affordable digital solutions to our customers then we will be that much further ahead as a community.”
 

By The Paper Staff

A 2-year-old boy from Indianapolis died after a car driven by his mother became submerged on a rural Wabash County road.
At approximately 1:40 p.m. Thursday, officers from the Indiana State Police, the Wabash County Sheriff’s Department, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources responded to a 911 call reporting an occupied, submerged, vehicle on Wabash County Road 925 South east of State Road 13.

The preliminary investigation by Senior Trooper Jeremy Perez revealed that Anthonitte Carter, 22, Indianapolis, was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Impala eastbound on County Road 925 South east of State Road 13. Evidence indicates that the Impala passed a high water sign. The sign had been posted, on the south shoulder, to warn drivers of possible flooding due to multiple days of rain in the area.

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

Wabash River Trail is one of 17 communities and non-profit organizations to receive $24.9 million for trail development.
The money, expected to create 42 miles of new trails, is part of the initial round of the Next Level Trails Program, Gov. Eric J. Holcomb and Indiana Department of Natural Resources Director Cameron Clark announced.

“These 17 projects are a tremendous investment in quality of life for Hoosiers as trails create important connections within and between communities across our state,” Holcomb said. “Our growing network of trails is more than a recreational and transportation amenity – it’s an important tool for economic development by helping Indiana attract and retain the best workforce in the country.”

Wabash River Trail will receive 1,444,897 for 3.84 miles of trail.

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

White’s Residential and Family Services hosted a grand opening ceremony for 50 East Garden Center and Café on Friday, May 3.

The new retail garden center and café are the newest additions to the Wabash community. It also supports the need for expanding White’s vocational and educational program, Growing Teens For Life, for the students in their residential therapeutic programs.

“This enterprise is really made because we have students who are going to have tremendous vocational opportunities to learn while they’re here on our campus,” White’s President & CEO Ron Evans said. “Our students are here about an average of six months and they come from all over the state of Indiana.

“While they’re here they get vocational training, they get counseling and they get educational training. This will just open up 36 new opportunities for vocational training for those students. There’s something very therapeutic about working in the soil, working with your hands and serving others. Those are the vocational training they will get here.”
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

A pair of Wabash business owners received permission Wednesday, May 1, to split their downtown building into two parcels to sell one parcel as a condominium.

Kathleen Alspaugh and Dave Vandermark, owners of Duffey Enterprises, had their request unanimously approved by the Wabash Plan Commission.

The pair sought an exclusion from the city’s subdivision ordinance to allow them the sell the upper floor of the building at 27 W. Canal St. as a condo. The move, in essence, split the building horizontally, leaving Alspaugh and Vandermark as owners of the ground level building. They hope to find a retail business to fill the spot.

Greg Metz, who is working with Alspaugh and Vandermark, told the commission the reason the measure was brought to light was because they had a party interested in purchasing the upper level to be used as a condo.
 

A student is helped as he tries on a scuba diving tank at the Indiana State Police booth. Photo by Joseph Slacian

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

Freshmen students from all over the area took part in the third annual Northeast Indiana College and Career Expo Tuesday, April 30 at the Honeywell Center.

“All of the schools here today are striving to reach a partnership between business and education, giving you the ideas, options and skills that will help connect you to the career of your choosing once you graduate from high school,” said Jeff Galley, Wabash High School assistant principal. He also served as emcee of the convocation before the expo got under way. “Four years from now may seem like a long way away, but believe me, ask anyone who’s graduated – it’ll go extremely fast.”

About 80 different businesses were on hand to exhibit what they have to offer prospective employees, giving students a glimpse into what it might be like to work at that specific venue.

“We want this to be a fun and exciting day,” Galley said. “But, we also want it to be an educational day. We have asked our employers that are on site to provide different interactive activities for students to participate in, to give (them) a taste of what they do on a day to day basis.”