The Paper - Feb. 04

Page 1

Vol. 37, No. 48

PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326

Friday, Feb. 6th Boys Basketball Northfield vs. Manchester 7:30pm GIRLS SECTIONAL BASKETBALL Tuesday, Feb. 10th Wabash vs. Oak Hill 7:00pm

Wednesday, Feb. 11th Manchester vs. Northfield 6:00pm Southwood vs. N. Miami 7:30pm

of Wabash County Inc.

February 4, 2015

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Crash victim dies Education bill dominates legislative forum from injuries By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

By The Paper staff A local man critically injured in a one-vehicle accident on Jan. 20 has passed away. The man, Derek Perkins, 27, LaFontaine, died Friday morning at Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne. The accident took place on County Road 550 N, east of CR 700 W. A preliminary investigation by the Wabash County Sheriff ’s Department shows that a 2000 GMC van driven by Robert O. Lynn, 48, Roann, was westbound on CR 550 N when he lost control on an ice covered road. The vehicle left the road, struck a tree on the south side of the road and came to rest on its side. Perkins was airlifted from the scene to Lutheran Hospital with severe head trauma. Among his survivors is his fiance, Brenda Miller, and his 2-month-old daughter, Sofia. A memorial service is scheduled for 1:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Wabash Elks Lodge No.471, 225 W. Main St., Wabash. On Feb. 20, the Elks will host a fundraiser to benefit Perkins’ family. A spaghetti dinner will take place from 6-8 p.m., and Dave Smith of Smitty Entertainment will provide music at 8 p.m. Raffles and auctions also are planned throughout the event.

Manchester man faces molesting charges By The Paper staff A North Manchester man was a r r e s t e d We d n e s d ay night, Jan. 28, on three counts of child molestation. According to the Indiana State Police, the man, Kestrel Falcon Kest r el Fal co n Little III, was l it t l e iii incarcerated in the Wabash County Jail. The arrest stems from a criminal investigation by Indiana State Police Detective Josh Maller. According to an ISP press release, Maller started an investigation after receiving information from the Wabash County Division of the Indiana Department of Child Services that a Wabash County girl had possibly been molested. Maller’s investigation revealed that Little had allegedly committed sexual acts with a 13-year-old Wabash County girl from in November and December 2014.

Senate Bill 1 dominated the conversations on Saturday Jan. 31 during the Third House Legislative Forum at the Wabash County Chamber of Commerce. The bill, State Sen. Amanda Banks explained to the more than 30 people present, “seeks to fix the impasse with the State Board of Education.” “Superintendent (Glenda) Ritz obviously has some disagreements with the governor,” Sen. Banks continued. “Senate Bill 1 would seek to change the board of education to include the state superintendent, eight members appointed by the governor, one appointed by the Senate Pro Temp and one by the Speaker of the House. “Currently, it includes the superintendent and one member appointed by the governor. However, this would change the way the chair of the board is selected. Currently, it’s the superintendent. This bill would allow the board to elect its chair. So, that would really change the dynamics of the board.” The bill was to be heard by the Senate Rules Committee on Monday. Constituents didn’t greet the proposed change favorably. “I will refrain my sharing my opinion on Superintendent Ritz, but the bill

STATE REP. DAVID WOLKINS makes a point Saturday morning, Jan. 31, in the Third House Session Legislative Forum at the Wabash County Chamber of Commerce. He and State Sen. Amanda Banks met with about 30 constituents during the hour-long forum. (Photo by Joseph Slacian) seems to be heavy handed,” Laura Cole wouldn’t affect a sitting superintendent, said. “You have people that voted for her but maybe in the future. I do think that and have the expectations that she would if the tables were turned and it was a be the chairperson of the board. Democrat House and Senate and a Changing board leadership “in the Democrat governor, the other side would middle of the stream, if just doesn’t really be screaming.” seem, for lack of a better term, fair, to At the very earliest, Banks said, the pull her out of the position in the middle measure wouldn’t change the dynamics of her term, based on how they voted. of the board until at least 2016. “Is there something they can do that (continued on page 5)

Huntington U students on mission in Paris after shootings Wabash resident among students involved with trip By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com A group of 12 Huntington University students, including a Wabash County resident, flew to Paris for a pre-planned mission trip and arrived in the midst of the manhunt for the Charlie Hebdo shooters. On the morning of Jan. 7, two masked gunmen attacked and killed 11 journalists at Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly newspaper known for publishing antireligious articles. The gunmen later identified as Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, belonged to the Yemen based Al-Qaeda branch and launched a surprise attack after the newspaper had re-published the Jyllands-Posten cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. The mission group was due to arrive an hour after the shootings occurred, but were postponed in Indianapolis International Airport as a result of poor weather. Wabash resident and HU junior Lauren Frischman said the group felt so lucky that they were still in the states when the attack occurred because they could relieve friends and family of worry by telling them they weren’t even in Europe yet. Senior Caitlin Trainer collaborated with Envision, a Christian Missionary Alliance organization, to plan the mission trip. After the shootings, the stu(continued on page 5)

TWELVE HUNTINGTON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS continued with their Paris mission trip as planned during the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. The students included (front row, from left) Larkayla Mosley, Maggie Gilliam, Caitlin Trainer, Melanie Clemens, Josh Walker, Larissa Walker, (middle row, from left) Sam Barrett, Lauren Frischman, Hannah Barrett, Constanze Gölz, (back row, from left) Alyssa Eddy, and Conner Knight-Morrow. (Photo provided)


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