Vol. 39, No. 9
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc.
www.thepaperofwabash.com
May 11, 2016
Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
Former MU student pleads not guilty By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com Mikayla Munn, the former Manchester University student who was charged with murder in the death of her newborn son, entered a not guilty plea Wednesday morning, May 4, in Wabash Circuit Court. Munn, 21, Elkhart, also was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death. A Sept. 13 trial date was set in Wabash Circuit Court. Munn was arrested at her Elkhart home on Monday, May
2, on a Wabash County warrant. She was transported to the Elkhart County Jail until she was brought to Wabash County. The arrest is the result of a death investigation by Indiana State Police Detective Josh Maller and North Manchester Police Detective Sergeant Jon Pace. The investigation was brought about by what Indiana State Police called inconsistent information, as it related to the evidence. Munn is a former member of the Manchester University
women’s volleyball team and also served as a resident assistant at the university. The Paper of Wabash County has obtained the probable cause affidavits filed with Wabash Circuit Court by Maller and Pace. Because of the graphic nature of the descriptions in the affidavits, The Paper has opted to report the bare minimum of what they say. According to Maller’s probable cause affidavit, Munn called 911 at approximately 11:28 p.m. March 8 and informed the North Manchester dispatch she
Canoe Launch
Existing Trailhead
Fishing
Potential Bridge
Camping
Proposed Phase 1 Route Proposed Nature Path
a n d processed it for evidence. Police also received a search warrant to look at various electronic devices in the room. On her cell phone police MIKAYLA found text MUNN messages between Munn and a man whom she thought to be the father of (continued on page 17)
Access seeks community help
KEY Potential Trailhead/Access Site
had just given birth, had passed out and that upon awakening found the baby was not breathing. MU security officers were first on the scene and found Munn in the tub holding the baby, which was wrapped in a towel. She also reportedly told first responders, “I didn’t know I was pregnant.” After receiving a search warrant on March 9, Pace and Indiana State Police Crime Scene Investigator Sgt. Jason Page searched the dorm room
Mountain Biking
Potential Canoe Loop Existing Riverwalk
Organization needs financial assistance to refurbish building
Future Phase
By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com Phase 1 of the Wabash River Trail begins in Lagro and follows the river to Paradise Springs Park on the east side of Wabash where it connects with the existing Riverwalk Trail. A trailhead in Lagro will enhance the area around Kerr Lock and provide opportunities for fishing, river access, and camping. The area adjacent to the local ice cream shop and antique dealer will be converted into a wide, pedestrian-friendly public space, and the existing canoe launch at IN 254 will be improved. Mountain bike trails could be developed just west of town. A canoe-bike loop could be established between Lagro and Wabash, with nature trails developed where canoes pull out at the end of the loop. Coming into Paradise Springs Park, the trail will pass underneath a railroad bridge before connecting to the existing park trail system.
WABASH RIVER TRAIL Phase 1 - Lagro to Wabash A map looking at the first phase of a trail along the Wabash River from Lagro to Wabash. Photo provided
Local group plans 33 mile trail along Wabash River By The Paper staff A multi-purpose river trail is in the works to be constructed along portions of the Wabash River, the Wabash River Trail, Inc., a local nonprofit organization, announced Monday, May 9. The proposed Wabash River Trail will be a 33-mile long paved pathway that will connect Huntington, Lagro, Wabash and Peru. It will also be 10 feet wide and mostly flat with a gentle grade in some areas. The aim of the privately-funded project is to blend community pathway, river recreation,
canal history and land conservation while also attracting cyclists, runners, walkers, canoeists and kayakers, according to the news release. The trail will be developed in three phases. Phase I, which includes a 6.6 mile stretch from Paradise Spring Historical Park in Wabash to Lagro, is scheduled to begin construction on the first mile and a half in August. The construction will start east of Kerr Lock on the edge of Lagro and will continue west to the end of Basin Street. Once Phase I is complete, effort to begin Phases II and III will commence. (continued on page 17)
For 30 years, The Access Youth Center has provided youth from around Wabash County with a safe place to spend time after school, in the evenings and on the weekend. The faith-based center hosts a variety of programs to help fill the needs of youth and their families, including the after school meal and summer lunch programs, family nights, Bible study and more. Officials there are now reaching out to the public to help them with a need of their own. The Access, 74 W. Canal St., is in need of a major renovation. The price tag is more than $200,000, of which officials already have raised $85,000. They are working to raise additional funds, and hope the community will step up and help. A deteriorating exterior wall,
The Access Youth Center will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 22, to explain the program and discuss the building’s needs. The open house is at 74 W. Canal St.
roof repairs and refurbishing the façade are problems Access officials must take care of, the quicker the better. Work on the west wall, which alone will cost more than $100,000, is underway. “The infrastructure of our location for our youth needs to be upgraded,” Access board chair Leroy Striker said during an interview with The Paper of Wabash County and members of the facility’s board of directors. (continued on page 17)
City trailing in vote for small business contest By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com The City of Wabash is trailing in the Small Business Revolution contest, according to local officials. Wabash and Silverton, Ore., have been in the running to receive a $500,000 revitalization of downtown. For the last week, residents have been going online to vote for either Wabash
or Silverton in the contest sponsored by Deluxe Corp. The contest, initially announced online on The Paper of Wabash County’s Facebook page on May 3, was formally announced by Mayor Scott Long, Wabash Marketplace Executive Director Steve Downs, Visit Wabash County Executive Director Christine Flohr and Bill Konyha, execu(continued on page 22)