The Paper of Wabash County - Feb. 10, 2016, issue

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Vol. 38, No. 51

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

of Wabash County Inc. February 10, 2016

www.thepaperofwabash.com Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977

City Schools to seek referendum WPD Patrolman Dan Henderson readies his gun to fire during a simulated situation in which a gunman has entered a school and taken several students as hostages. Photo by Emma Rausch

Local police officers train for worst-case scenarios By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com

Ninety-nine percent of the time Wabash Police Department officers don’t have their guns drawn during daily life situations, according to Sgt. Matt Benson, WPD public information officer. However, officers need to be ready for that 1 percent and that’s where the annual Firearms Training Simulator (F.A.T.S.) comes in. On Friday, Feb. 5, the WPD trained for disastrous and domestic situations using a life-size video training simulator provided by Tactical Edge Protective Services of Warsaw. Wabash Police Department Capt. Bob Pilgrim prepares to The WPD trained in conjunction with the fire during a simulated situation during the annual Firearms Wabash County Sheriff ’s Department and the Training Simulator (F.A.T.S.) on Friday, Feb. 5, while firearms instructor Sgt. Nick Brubaker mans the simulator. Photo by (continued on page 3) Emma Rausch

Wabash County Promise County DCS director launches scholarship program terminated from post By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com The Community Foundation of Wabash County received a $430,000 grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which will be used to provide scholarships for Wabash County Promise Initiative (WCPI) students in fourth through eighth grade. The scholarships were announced on Monday, Feb. 8, during a joint luncheon of WCPI and the Wabash Rotary Club. The grant was made to the Community Foundation of Wabash County. “The WCPI – known formally as the Promise Early

By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com Margery Justice, director of the Wabash County office of the Department of Child Services, has been terminated. Ashley Hungate, Director of Communications for the Indiana State Personnel Department, confirmed the termination to The Paper of Wabash County. “Margery Justice was terminated January 28, 2016, for violating DCS Code of Conduct and State of Indiana/DCS policies,” Hungate said in an email to (continued on page 3)

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Measure to seek tax levy to help offset funding cuts By Emma Rausch news@thepaperofwabash.com

The Wabash Community Schools School Board will seek voter approval for a tax levy referendum to be placed on the May 3 ballot. The board unanimously approved seeking the referendum at its meeting on Monday, Feb. 1. The referendum, if approved, would implement a tax levy of 28 cents per $100 assessed valuation to assist the school system’s finances. Voters in the area the school will cast a “Yes” or “No” on the refe r e n d u m , according to City S c h o o l s Superintendent Affected voters can visit Jason Callahan. voteyesforwabash.org and The “question” “plug in” their property costs C a l l a h a n into the website’s provided calreferred to reads culator to learn how much the “For the seven tax will impact them. calendar years immediately following the holding of the referendum pursuant to Indiana Code 20-46-1-8(a)(1), shall the Wabash City Schools impose a property tax rate that does not exceed 28 cents on each $100 of assessed valuation and that is in addition to all other property tax levies imposed by the school corporation for the purpose of funding and maintaining current educational programs, student safety, retaining and compensating employees and other daily educational operations?” he told the board. The need for a referendum comes as a result of WCS losing the Transition to Foundation, a state tuition support implemented in 2011 for seven years that provided approximately $518,000 annually. In addition, the district experienced an enrollment drop, he noted, as Wabash High School graduated 125 students while bringing in only 91 kindergarten students. “Basically that’s going to put us in an operating budget deficit at the end of December — if projected revenue holds the same and expenditures hold the same — of $319,000,” Callahan explained.

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