By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

Provider Indiana American Water recently released its water quality reports for 2017 for Wabash and Somerset, with high quality reviews across the board.

“To comply with state and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, Indiana American Water issues a report annually describing the quality of your drinking water,” the organization said in a press release. “The purpose of this report is to raise your understanding of drinking water and awareness of the need to protect your drinking water sources. In 2017, we conducted tests for many contaminants, all of which were below state and federal allowable levels.”

Indiana American Water explained that the public water system for Wabash relies on ground water obtained from eight wells in two well fields.

Sources of that ground water include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells.
 

By David Fenker
david@nmpaper.com

NORTH MANCHESTER -- Three projects and an individual dedicated to historic preservation received awards from Manchester Main Street at the nonprofit's annual meeting.

Each year, MMS honors those who spend significant time and energy on local, historical structures. This year's award recipients include the Wabash County Commissioners, KenopocaMocha Coffee Shop and Steve Batzka.

MMS's Historic Preservation and Design committee presented the awards Wednesday, May 23, at The Firehouse.

Mary Chrastil, president of the North Manchester Historical Society and MMS Historic Preservation and Design committee member, presented the awards.

“One of the committee's goals is to encourage quality design and good choices in improvements that are made to buildings in our town, keeping the historic buildings true to their architectural style,” she said. “The awards are given to building owners and entities that have made efforts to make North Manchester a more beautiful place to live.
 

Cathy Wolfe, vice president of patient care services at Parkview Wabash Hospital, shows off one of two new operating rooms at the facility. Photo by Joseph Slacian. 

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

In three weeks, the new Parkview Wabash Hospital will open.
At 6 a.m. Wednesday, June 27, the new hospital, located at 10 John Kissinger Dr. will open and the old facility at 710 N. East St. will close.

The move is taking places in phases, Parkview Wabash President Marilyn Custer-Mitchell told The Paper of Wabash County.

“Many administrative offices will move June 4, and another set of administrative offices will move June 15,” she said. “In between the fourth and the twenty-seventh, when we move patients, there is some other smaller moves. We’re taking some of our kitchen equipment, so we’ll move some of that one day. There are a lot of move dates, if you will, but the big patient move is the twenty-seventh.

“So if a patient walks into the ER at 5:59, we’ll take care of him here. If they walk in at 6, we’ll ask them to please drive to the new facility, assuming they’re not in an emergency situation, then we’ll be taking care of them.”

By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com

The Wabash County Council tabled a resolution Tuesday, May 29, that would have moved the county a step closer to purchasing a facility which would house the County Health Department as well as the county morgue.

County Commissioner Barry Eppley addressed the council regarding the resolution.

He explained that the County Probation Department recently added four new probation officers and are cramped for space in their office quarters of the County Judicial Center.

Since the probation department needs to be under the security that the County Judicial Center provides, moving that department out of the center is not feasible.

The next idea is to move the County Health Department to a location outside of the Judicial Center, and pair it with a new county morgue.
 

By The Paper staff

Nine Wabash Middle School students were recognized on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, for their perfect participation in the Count Me In attendance program. 

The students who qualified had no absences, no tardies, and no referrals for the year. This year’s big prize was a $350 gift card to Great Wolf Lodge.  This prize was awarded to eighth grader Kasey Long.
 

Lauren Rich is surrounded by police officers from six different araea departments to show her and her family the support they still have following the death of her father, Indiana State Police Master Trooper Detective David Rich. Photo by Harold Chatlosh

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

Parker Mays, Southwood High School valedictorian, was having trouble thinking of a profound message to leave his fellow classmates.

So, he turned to someone close to him, his grandmother, and asked her for advice.

“I was expecting a response about how to be responsible with your time or something else we have grown up hearing,” he said during his valedictorian speech at Southwood’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 2. “Instead she responded with three simple words. ‘Just be yourself.’

“Now when I asked her what she wanted to share with us, I hadn’t told her what else I had planned on talking about. But as it turns out, I think it fits perfectly together. We’ve done pretty well up to this point being ourselves so doesn’t it make sense to continue the trend?”

By The Paper Staff

The 2018 Chair Affair Committee recently announced that its charities of choice of the Chair Affair Auction will be 85 HOPE and T.A.D.A. (Teens Against Dating Abuse).

85 HOPE offers basic medical help with medications and offers health education to those with little or no health insurance. 85 HOPE was started in 2011 by Dr. Rose Wenrich and is located in Wabash Friends Church. Office hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The clinic is open on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and is staffed by volunteers.

T.A.D.A, in association with Hands of Hope, a division of Family Services Society, has groups at Wabash High School and Southwood High School. They meet once a week to come up with ideas for activities for teens to help make kids aware of the signs of unhealthy relationships. Hands of Hope works to break the cycle of domestic violence and sexual violence through safe shelter, advocacy and education.
 

Northfield graduates receive congratulations as they receive their diplomas and as they cross the stage. Photo by Joseph Slacian

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

A group of 75 “winners” received their diplomas Friday night, June 1, at Northfield High School.

The “winners,” as proclaimed by valedictorian Jake Fulkerson, were dressed in blue and silver caps and gowns, and were greeted by cheers and camera flashes as they walked across the stage during the school’s annual commencement ceremony.

“This class is full of many winners,” Fulkerson said during his valedictorian address. “Fail or succeed, we are going to give this life everything we got. We will be winners.”