Gary Snyder, Democratic candidate for Indiana State Senate District 17, will participate in a Candidate Forum with Dee Moore, Democratic candidate for Indiana State Representative District 18, on Monday, Oct. 8, at Modoc’s Market.

Karen Newhouse, executive director of Mental Health American of Wabash County, explains the rules on one of the side games at the Wabash Rotary Club - Unitted Fund Golf Outing to Dave Mann (left) and Brent Dawes. Photo by Joseph Slacian. 

By Joseph Slacian

jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

The Wabash County United Fund kicked off its 2018 fundraising campaign with the annual Wabash Rotary Club golf outing on Wednesday, Sept. 12.

Nineteen teams signed up to play 18 holes of golf at the Honeywell Public Golf Course, as well as to speak with representatives from the 21 agencies benefiting from the 2018 campaign.

“This is United Fund’s 61st anniversary year, and we are especially excited to kick off the campaign with Wabash Rotary,” UF Executive Director Steve Johnson said. “It is such a wonderful opportunity for the business community to come together in support of community programming.”

The campaign seeks to raise $250,000 again this year.

“We had some new teams sign up, some new participation, some new sponsorship, all the way around,” Johnson told The Paper of Wabash County. “We had some new prizes for the raffle drawing. So, we’ve had a lot of new things this year that sort of stepped things up.”

The big prize this year was a hole-in-one prize provided by Dorais Chevrolet Buick GMC, with insurance coverage provided by INGUARD.
 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

Indiana American Water on Friday, Sept. 14, filed petition with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to adjust water rates for the communities it serves across Indiana, including Wabash and Somerset.

Infrastructure investments are the primary reason for the increase, company officials said in a news release. The company is including more than $542 million in water infrastructure investments in its request.

The company is proposing a phased approach to the new rates, with an 8.22 percent increase in July 2019, and a second increase of 8.57 percent in July 2020.
 

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

At 16-years-old, Josh Maggart is used to being around a cross section of different age groups.

So, being a young member of the cast of “Once Upon a Mattress” has been seamless for him, where it might not be for some others.

“I get along with all different age groups,” Maggart said. “You learn a lot more, whether it’s with younger kids, you learn to be responsible and mature with little kids. When it comes to elders, you learn a lot about life, because they’re wiser and they’ve had more time to go through it. They’ve had more life’s lessons.”

“Once Upon a Mattress” will run Sept. 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m., and Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. at the Honeywell Center.

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

The Metropolitan School District of Wabash County received an overview on how the Blessings in a Backpack program is working within their school district and others during the Tuesday, Sept. 11 meeting.

Blessings coordinator Megan Henderson was on hand to give the board an update on the volume of students who benefit from the program, which gives food to children who qualify for free and reduced lunch and may otherwise not get to eat on the weekends.

The program has been packing bags for three weeks now. Blessings packs 91 bags for students at Metro North. Southwood Elementary is receiving 81 bags for students to take home on the weekends.

Sharp Creek is receiving 63 bags, while O.J. Neighbors of Wabash City Schools receives 231 bags.

In total, 466 bags were packed for children.
 

By David Fenker

dfenker@nmpaper.com

NORTH MANCHESTER -- The Manchester Symphony Orchestra is kicking off its 80th season with a big bang.

The orchestra's first event of the 2018-2019 season begins at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, at Manchester University, with a variety of science-oriented activities. At 7:30, the orchestra will perform “The Universe at an Exhibition,” featuring Modest Mussorgsky's “Pictures at an Exhibition” as the soundtrack to a live film by Dr. José Francisco Salgado.

“It is a science-oriented program,” MSO conductor Scott Humphries said. “It actually goes along with some of the science standards of learning in the state.

“The film is a space-themed film. It has pictures from outer space, from I believe NASA and the European Space Agency, I believe is where the pictures are drawn from, plus other graphics done by [Salgado].”
 

By David Fenker
david@nmpaper.com

WABASH – After another successful Dam 2 Dam Century Ride, Visit Wabash County officials are looking for ways to improve the annual cycling event from a safety standpoint.

Christine Flohr, Visit Wabash County executive director of tourism, and three D2D committee members attended the Sept. 17 meeting of the county commissioners to request the county's assistance in creating a safer ride in future years.

The committee's presentation to the commissioners focused on the county's chip-and-seal road repairs, which they said create hazards for cyclists during the D2D.
 

By David Fenker
david@nmpaper.com

NORTH MANCHESTER -- After several months' work, Midwest Poultry Services's headquarters relocation is finished moving through the North Manchester town government.

The egg producer first approached the county government in March, asking it to designate a recently purchased property as an economic revitalization area. MPS then requested that the town annex that property, located along the Eel River east of State Road 13, in June.

At its Sept. 5 meeting, the North Manchester Town Council unanimously approved a resolution designating the property as an economic revitalization area and granting a tax abatement to MPS, the last step in the process.