Vol. 39, No. 37
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc. November 23, 2016
www.thepaperofwabash.com Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
Funds sought for new riverfront development By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com A new development along the Wabash River Trail could be possible, if organizers are able to raise $50,000 by the end of the year. Officials of the Wabash Marketplace Design Committee announced plans for the development on Thursday, Nov. 17. Plans call for the creation of a riverfront plaza featuring two gazebos, seating and landscaping. There also will be a deck that overlooks the river. The $50,000 is needed to serve as matching funds for an Indiana Housing and Community Development Agency (IHCDA) grant program called “CreatINg Places.” The local project was selected as the first grant recipients. As of Monday morning, Nov. 21, $10,600 has been raised, project officials said. “We are so excited to learn that the IHCDA picked our project as its inaugural grant,” committee member Andrea Zwiebel said. “The project will beautify a very visible gateway to the city, and will add another destination for Wabashians and out-of-towners to visit.” (continued on page 14)
Families have special ways to cook turkey By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com
Thanksgiving is a time for loved ones to gather and show thanks, but it’s also the time for turkey connoisseurs to pull out their best secret recipes and show off their talents at the Thanksgiving Day feast. Kami Ross’s kindergarten class at Metro North Elementary School is full of youth well versed in the art of cooking turkey. To help their neighbors this holiday season, the kindergarteners provided The Paper of Wabash County with their families’ secret turkey recipes.
“Grilled Turkey” - Aden Combs Secret ingredient: Pumpkin seeds Go to Save-A-Lot to buy a turkey. It costs $10,000. Take it home and heat up the grill. I don’t like it in the oven. It’s too big for the oven anyways. I like to put pumpkin seeds on it. It needs to cook about 100 minutes. Grandma, Papa, Sam, Mom and I like to eat together. “10-Minute Turkey” - Audrey Bryant Secret instruction: Use a microwave (continued on page 21)
Flames shoot from the roof of a Main Street building in downtown North Manchester early Saturday morning. Photo by Eric Christiansen
NM fire under investigation By David Fenker david@nmpaper.com NORTH MANCHESTER — An early morning fire Saturday, Nov. 19, in downtown North Manchester is still under investigation. Residents of an apartment complex in the 200 block of E. Main St. awoke to firemen pounding on their doors before 5 a.m. Saturday. The residents were evacuated from their apartments as seven fire departments worked to contain a blaze that began at 216 E. Main St. According to a press release from the North Manchester Fire Department, the North Manchester Dispatch Center received a call at 4:40 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 reporting a fire at 216 E. Main St., the former location of The Brewhouse. NMFD units found smoke and fire coming from the rear of the building upon their arrival. The fire spread to the second story of 218 E. Main St., destroying the empty apartment there. Heat and smoke damaged the second story of 222 E. Main St., an occupied apartment, making it unlivable. Fire units were on the scene until 1:45 p.m. Saturday. Duke Energy was called to cut power to the building during the fire, leaving several nearby residents without power for a short time. “This is the worst one we’ve had downtown for many, many years,” NMFD Chief Cam Kissinger said. He recalled a 2004 one-room fire on Walnut Street and a 2000 apartment fire above High 5 Sports at 112 E. Main Street as being the most recent major fires in the town’s history.
Firefighters look at the damage to the rear ofthe building at 216 E. Main St. No one was injured in the early morning fire. Photo by David Fenker Kissinger said that one apartment with residents was lost, as well as two empty apartments in Saturday’s blaze. The North Manchester office of Tiede Metz and Downs, P.C., home to attorney Al Schlitt, was one of the businesses damaged in the fire. Schlitt said that a skylight above his secretary’s office broke, allowing water and some embers to fall in. He said that most of the damage is water-related, with only a few scorch marks from the falling embers. The office space will be unusable until repairs are made. “We’ll have to find another location, temporarily, but I don’t know where that will be or when,” he said.
The Community Foundation of Wabash County’s North Manchester office, as well as the office of the accounting firm Terrill and Company, also received extensive water damage. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. “Until we can determine something, it’s under investigation,” Kissinger said. According to Kissinger, Indiana State Fire Marshall Jim Greeson is participating in the investigation. “We’re waiting to hear back from the insurance adjusters so we can all get together and figure this out,” Kissinger said. (continued on page 14)