Vol. 39, No. 41
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc. December 21, 2016
www.thepaperofwabash.com Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
The 3 Wise Guys By Barb Maggart The snow had been falling since early morning and Mark was waiting expectantly for the news that school had been dismissed. It was the last day before Christmas break. They never did anything important on that day, except exchange their 50cent gift they got in the class drawing and the teachers always gave them peppermint sticks and sent them home for 10 days vacation. It was usually pretty boring. Last year, there had been a bit of fun though when the teacher opened up a pair of silk hose that had Pudge’s name on it. He swore he had never seen them before, that his mother had wrapped the gift and put his name on it. “I wanted to get her a box of Christmas candy,” he moaned. Mark grinned thinking of last year’s exchange and Pudge’s discomfort. He looked out the window again to find the snow coming down harder than ever before. “Surely they will soon call to announce the closing,” he said to his mother hopefully. He had not seen any cars pass their house all morning. Even the highway trucks had not been seen. The old county road was covered with 4 or 5 inches of wet, fluffy snow, and more continued. “Boy, what a break if we should miss that dumb gift exchange!” He continued to dwell upon the horror of last year’s event. He remembered it like yesterday. Every year Alma Fleckerman got his name. “That’s because she likes you and trades for your name,” explained his good friend Sam. “Well,” thought Mark, “it wouldn’t be so bad if she brought me something neat.” But last year, she brought him socks.
Talks about new jail continue By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com The Wabash County Jail Committee explored design and funding options on Thursday, Dec. 15, concerning the possibility of constructing a new county jail in the future. The committee, which consisted of Commissioner Barry Eppley, Sheriff Robert Land and County Council members William Ruppel, Jeff Dawes and Kyle Bowman, received updates on the building programming, preliminary design and financing possibilities from DLZ Principal Architect Eric Ratts and Umbaugh Executive Partner Todd Samuelson. “The thing that we’re looking at is the sixside concrete box,” Ratts said. “Just throwing (inmates) in there and expecting change to happen, it doesn’t happen. So what we’re (continued on page 9)
Youth is new captain By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com He had tried to hide them in his desk, but the teacher made them all show their gifts. Of course all the fellows whooped it up when he held up a pair of black and gray dress socks. They looked like something his dad would wear. “She must have smelled your feet,” whispered his friend Pudge, as he chewed on a peanut butter sandwich he had slipped from his lunch pail. Mark was still remembering last year’s humiliation when the phone
rang and he got the official announcement that school was to be canceled. A quick glance at the window told him the snow was still coming down. After checking with his mother, Mark grabbed his sled from the garage and headed for good old Cider Hill. The snow was already several inches thick. Sledding should be great! He was sure all the kids would be (continued on page 8)
The Wabash Police Department has a new Shop captain. With a Northfield Jr.-Sr. High School student Cop sets Brenton Yarger record received his honorary Page 6 captain bars from Mayor Scott Long and Wabash Police Assistant Chief Bob Pilgrim during a brief ceremony prior to the start of the Shop With a Cop program on Saturday, (continued on page 9)
King named Lilly Scholar By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
When Wabash High School’s Cheyenne King was in fifth grade, her teacher, Karen Vanderpool, encouraged her to apply for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship when she was a high school senior. Vanderpool told her that she stood a good chance at winning it. Seven years later, that prediction came true. On Wednesday, Dec. 14, Cheyenne King was notified she was Wabash County’s 2017 Lilly
Endowment Community Scholarship winner. She received the news from Julie Garber, Community Foundation of Wabash County program director, who gathered with Cheyenne’s family in the Wabash High School conference room. She was lured to the conference room by WHS counselor Terry Nicely under the auspices of talking to her about her grades. When she entered the room and saw Garber and her family members gathered there, she broke down into tears.
As a Lilly Scholar, Cheyenne received a full tuition scholarship to an Indiana college or university of her choice, as well as an annual book and supply stipend of $900 for the next four years. “It’s just amazing,” Cheyenne said, once the realization set in. “When you want to go to a private school it’s not cheap.” She plans to major in missions and minor in Christian education with the hopes of pursuing a career as a missionary. She is eying Taylor (continued on page 15)
Cheyenne King bursts into tears when she learns she is the 2017 Lilly Endowment Scholar in Wabash County. Photo by Joseph Slacian