By Eric Christiansen
echrisitansen@nmpaper.com

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb Thursday, April 11, announced Benjamin D. Vanderpool as his appointment to the Wabash County Superior Court. He will succeed Judge Amy Conner Cornell who passed away Feb. 19.

Vanderpool, a Wabash native, has been in private practice in Wabash and Warsaw since graduating law school. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Purdue University and his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

“This came about very quickly after Judge Cornell passed away,” Vanderpool said. “They opened up applications March 4, I believe.

“It has all happened very, very quickly. Everything is going to change, there is no doubt about that.”
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

The Wireless Zone, an authorized Verizon retailer, has opened in Wabash.

The business is the third franchise owned by Brian and Rachel McMeeking.

“Rachel, she’s from Wabash,” McMeeking said. “We opened about 10 years ago. We had plans to grow, but slowly.”

The couple first opened a site in Columbia City, followed two years later by one in Fort Wayne.

“We had made mention to Verizon that if this area ever came open, we would like to locate here,” McMeeking continued. “It took a long time, because they were looking at actually buying the rights to open here.

“A couple of months back we were given the opportunity, so we thought it would be the best thing to do for our company.”

The store opened March 8, according to Mrs. McMeeking. It is located at 1465 N. Cass St, in the Wabash Crossing.

The store is a premium retailer of Verizon and a franchisee of Wireless Zone.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

Applications are now being accepted by the Wabash Cannonball Chili for Charity Chili Cook-off from non-profit agencies interested in receiving funds from the 17th annual cook-off in October.

Application forms are available on the committee’s webpage, chiliforcharity.com, and are due back by May 15. They are being accepted online only, committee chair Todd Titus said.

“We’ve had as many as 40 (applicants),” he said of groups seeking funding. “I think last year we’ve had 25 or 30.”
Last year the committee donated a combined $41,000 to 15 local agencies. In its 16 years, it has donated more than $550,000 to local agencies.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

Students at the Access Learning Academy are getting lessons to help prepare them for the future, thanks in part to the Purdue Cooperative Extension Office in Wabash County.

Mindy Mays, Extension Educator – Health & Human Services, visits the academy on Wednesdays to discuss with the students a variety of life skills including such things as goal setting, accountability, money management, career planning and more.

On April 10, she discussed interviewing skills with six youngsters who chose to participate in the program.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

A new feature could be coming to a City of Wabash park. But the big question is, what park will it be in?

Officials from the Wabash Carnegie Public Library broached with the Wabash Board of Parks and Recreation creating a storybook walk in one of the parks. While board members liked the idea, there is not yet a consensus on which park to locate the walk.

A storybook walk consists of a series of posts with a display in which a page from a storybook is featured. The concept behind the project is to entice families with young children to stroll through the walk and read each page from the storybook. When the walk is finished, the book will have been read.

Families are then encouraged to visit their local library to look for more storybooks.
 

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Karen Springer was on hand at the Monday, April 15 Wabash County Commissioners meeting to request that the judge’s chambers receive a new paint job.

The walls were not painted prior to Judge Amy Cornell moving in.

Springer presented two estimates for the paint job.

The Commissioners approved a bid from Dave’s Painting for $775.
 

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

Emmanuel Christian junior Preston Ritzema has been part of the basketball program’s last three state titles.

Now, he will have the chance to showcase his talents in Australia.

Ritzema has been Invited by Down Under Sports to represent Indiana on the organization’s boys basketball team.

Ritzema will depart for Queensland, Australia, on July 14 to compete down under for individual honors and a team championship title.

Each participant must raise money to cover the cost of the 10-day Australia tournament package.

Ritzema explained that the school received a letter saying he was chosen to represent Indiana in the Down Under Sports annual basketball tournament.
 

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

A bill that is being sponsored by Indiana State Rep. Andy Zay (R-Huntington) could help overcrowding issues facing facilities like the Wabash County Jail.

The bill, House Bill 1078, passed the full senate by a vote of 46-2 last week. In a press release, Zay’s office explained that the bill would allow a court to relocate a Level 6 felony offender from a county jail to the Indiana Department of Corrections if the person is a violent offender or has two prior unrelated felony convictions.

Officials in Wabash County have long highlighted that the county needs a new jail facility.

Sheriff Ryan Baker, at the weekly County Commissioners meeting Monday, explained that the jail was housing 114 total inmates, but had to send 56 inmates to Miami County and another 13 to Elkhart County, meaning the county was responsible for 182 inmates total over the past week.