Vol. 39, No. 44
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc. January 11, 2017
www.thepaperofwabash.com Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
CF offers funds for study of schools
S.C. man gets 10 years in molesting By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com
By The Paper staff The Community Foundation of Wabash County has offered financial assistants to the county’s three school districts for a feasibility study on education in Wabash County. The announcement, announced Friday, Jan. 6, came via a Jan. 3, 2017, letter from CF Board President Steve Hentgen and Executive Director Patty Grant. “Public education in Wabash County faces some of the most complex and challenging issues of our time,” CF Vice President Josh Petruniw said, “and the Community Foundation has seen the breadth and complexities of those issues through its work within many programs in the community. The Foundation also has experienced first hand the value of research and reliable information for sound informed decision making.” The letter invites the school systems to develop and present a joint funding proposal to bring in outside consultants who would use their expertise to study the many factors affecting education in (continued on page 5)
Wabash firefighters pour water on a home at 73 E. Maple St. on Saturday morning. The fire remains under investigation. Photo provided
Weekend fire destroys home By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com An early morning fire on Saturday, Jan. 7, caused an estimated $95,000 damage to a home and its contents on East Maple Street in Wabash. Wabash Fire Department firefighters were dispatched to the scene, 73 E. Maple St., at 5:21 a.m. Fire Chief Barry Stroup said the fire was confined to the structure, though a house next door did receive some heat and water damage. There were no injuries, the chief said,
noting that all residents were out of the building when firefighters arrived. Stroup said that while the fire is still under investigation, it appears to have started in the rear of the building. The fire was ruled extinguished at 1:44 p.m., and firefighters were on the scene until 3 p.m. Both of the department’s off-duty shifts were called in to help at the scene, Stroup said. Also assisting at the scene were Wabash Police and the Wabash County EMA.
A former Wabash man was sentenced Monday, Jan. 9, for charges that stemmed from a 1997 child molestation case. Christopher L. Kimble, 46, Fairfax, S.C., was sentenced to 10 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections for felony attempted child molesting, a charge that stemmed from a 1996-97 Wabash County investigation. On Dec. 21, he was found guilty of (continued on page 6)
Body found near downtown Wabash By The Paper staff
Wabash Police are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found Monday morning, Jan. 9, near Wabash and Miami streets. (continued on page 6)
LaFontaine’s Family Dollar opens By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com
LAFONTAINE – LaFontaine Family Dollar has opened its doors here. Residents and town council members joined Family Dollar representatives Saturday, Jan. 7, as they cut the ceremonious red ribbon at the new store, 200 Bruner Road, to commemorate its grand opening. Family Dollar is looking forward to serving LaFontaine, according to Maria Bowland, store manager. “We are so excited to be here,” Bowland told The Paper of Wabash
County. “I think that we’re going to do well here. I really do. I’m already seeing a very loyal customer base just in the short amount of time that we’ve been open (since the soft open Jan. 4). “Judging from driving around in LaFontaine, there isn’t a whole lot here so it will be nice for people to have the shorter driving distance for simply grocery items.” The store offers a wide range of groceries as well as hair and beauty products and household items. In June, Family Dollar began construction on the local establishment. However, the store did not arrive
on a whim. It took the effort of one determine local woman. Since early 2015, life-long resident Janet Robbins-Pattee had her sights set on bringing a grocery store back to her community. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had anything like this in town,” Pattee, now a member of the LaFontaine Town Council, said. While traveling to another town may be seen as a simple inconvenience, for LaFontaine residents, it was more than that. “I’d be out of brown sugar or I’d Family Dollar store manager Maria Bowland need a can of soup for a recipe and (right) cuts the red ribbon to celebrate the store’s grand opening on Saturday, Jan. 7. Photo by Emma Rausch (continued on page 5)