By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

The Metropolitan School Board of Wabash County has held executive sessions in conjunction with its last two board meetings.

The reason was slated as job performance, a topic that seemed a little suspicious to MSD patron Michael Rigney.
Rigney speculated that the evaluation of job performance was for that of the job of Superintendent Mike Keaffaber during the closing moments of Tuesday’s meeting.

“I’ve heard that the next thing on the agenda is to get rid of Mr. Keaffaber,” Rigney said. “I’m going to tell you now: if you’re trying to railroad this man out, (you’re) going to be making a grave, grave mistake. This corporation values this man and what he has done and what he has tried to do to further and better this corporation.”
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

Health education students at the Heartland Career Center will get a close look at the workings of the human body, thanks to a new piece of equipment recently purchased by the school.

The Anatomage Table was delivered to the school about a month ago and on Wednesday, Dec. 12, students and staff alike were trained on how to operate the machine.

The table is about 7 feet long and three feet wide, and has a video screen on the top.

On the screen, the students can see 3-D images of the human body and, with the push of a few icons, the inner workings of the body as well.

The table can lie flat, or it can stand upright so an instructor can use it in a lecture setting.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

It was a busy year for Wabash Marketplace Inc., the Wabash City Council learned on Monday, Dec. 10.

The organization has been busy overseeing the façade grant portion of the Stellar Community Grant program, Interim Project Coordinator Andrea Zwiebel told Council when she appeared before it to give an annual update.

Eleven downtown buildings received new facades through the program, she said, with work still being completed on the last two – Reading Room Books and the Historic Eagles Theatre.
 

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

Wabash High School Assistant Principal Jeff Galley sees it every year.

As the weather turns colder into the winter months, children walk to school every day in the freezing cold without the proper attire such as coats, hats, gloves and scarves.

Students and staff decided to do something about it.

They’ve created a program called the Apaches Presence, where they collect donated cold weather attire, place them into bags, and place them in various places throughout the city for those in need to take for free, no questions asked.
 

By Amanda Bridgman
abridgman@nmpaper.com

NORTH MANCHESTER — Russ Mikel will be the interim superintendent for the second semester of the 2018-19 school year at Manchester Community Schools.

That became official at the MCS school board meeting Tuesday, Dec. 11, night.

Mikel comes to MCS as an interim through an agreement with Administrator Assistance.

Mikel will be paid $600 per day services are provided, plus mileage at the current IRS rate of 54.5 cents per mile.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

It was a busy year for Wabash Marketplace Inc., the Wabash City Council learned on Monday, Dec. 10.

The organization has been busy overseeing the façade grant portion of the Stellar Community Grant program, Interim Project Coordinator Andrea Zwiebel told Council when she appeared before it to give an annual update.

Eleven downtown buildings received new facades through the program, she said, with work still being completed on the last two – Reading Room Books and the Historic Eagles Theatre.
 

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

The Metropolitan School District of Wabash County Tuesday night approved the borrowing of $2.5 million for capital projects at a bond hearing as part of its regularly scheduled school board meeting.

Assistant Superintendent Chris Kuhn laid out the framework for the deal.

The bond is a lease bond that the school district will invest back into its buildings in renovation projects.

According to Indiana Code, any time a school corporation finances more than $1 million in bonds to build, repair of alter its school buildings, it must have a public hearing.
 

Outgoing Wabash County Commissioner Scott Givens (right) shows off the certificate he recieved from fellow Commissioners President Brian Haupert (left) and Barry Eppley, Photo by Amanda Bridgman

By Amanda Bridgman
abridgman@nmpaper.com

Wabash County Board of Commissioners met for the last time of the year Monday, Dec. 17, bidding farewell to longtime Commissioner Scott Givens, and also to Wabash County Sheriff Bob Land.

Givens has been on the board since 2007 and will be replaced by Jeff Dawes. Commissioners Barry Eppley and Brian Haupert presented Givens with a plaque, thanking him for his service, along with a wooden clock and a map of Wabash County.