Vol. 39, No. 20
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc. August 3, 2016
www.thepaperofwabash.com Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
The Paper lodges complaint against Metro school board
Public Access Counselor asked to determine if school reorganization talks violated Open Door Law By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com
The Paper of Wabash County filed a formal complaint against the MSD School Board on Thursday, July 28, with the Public Access Counselor. The complaint requests an advisory opinion from Luke Britt, appointed PAC, to determine if the Board’s July 12 vote to reconfigure the school district violated Indiana’s Open Door Law. “We believe, after consulting with the Hoosier State Press Association, that the Metro Board acted illegally and violated the Indiana Open Door Law,” Editor Joseph Slacian said. In its objection, The Paper asserts that the violation stemmed from the Board’s actions to plan a district-wide reconfigu-
Explaining our decision, Page 13 ration during at least three executive sessions including those on June 8, June 14 and July 7, which were advertised as meetings that would discuss personnel matters. “The media has an obligation to the public to keep an eye on these (governing) boards and make sure everything they do is aboveboard,” Slacian said. “When you have several board members saying that these plans were made in
executive session, that raises red flags all over the place, and it is because of that that we believe that the plans were formed illegally.” On Friday, July 29, the PAC granted priority status to the formal complaint, therein requiring the MSD Board to submit a rebuttal by Wednesday, Aug. 3. The PAC will announce his official advisory opinion by Monday, Aug. 8.
The vote in question MSD of Wabash County School Board met July 12 and announced, motioned and passed its plan to reconfigure Northfield and Southwood school systems into one school. Following the meeting, The Paper sought guidance from the Hoosier State
“Whether or not the end result a month from now is the same, it makes a difference in that the public still has its right to know what’s going on, what’s being contemplated and has a right to speak out on that, and The Paper’s work in bringing this to light is still important.” -- Stephen Key, Executive Director & General Counsel, Hoosier State Press Association
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Restoration may be option for old jail
125 residents help clean out Wabash River By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com More than 125 Wabash County residents got down and dirty on Saturday, July 30, at the Wabash River Defenders’ Clean Out the Banks. Fourteen teams assisted in clearing tires, bicycles, guardrails and other types of debris from the 19-mile stretch of Wabash River that runs through the county. “John Gettinger, past president of the Wabash River Heritage Corridor Commission, said this was the biggest volunteer cleanup of any river in Indiana,” WRD founder Michael Beauchamp told The Paper of Wabash County. “I’ve never known a group of people like what we’ve got here.
“I mean it takes an unusual person,” he continued with a laugh, “to want to go down into the river, cover themselves with mud and pull out tons and tons of junk and tires and all the stuff we’ve pulled out. We call ourselves ‘river rats’ (and) that’s meant in an endearing way. These people love the river and they’re making a difference for generations to come.” The river has been abused for years, according to Mayor Scott Long. However, since 2011, the Wabash River Defenders (WRD) and its volunteers have cleared more than 137,069 pounds of debris from the river and approximately 82 percent of it has been recycle, according to Beauchamp. The tons of debris pulled from this year’s event were not yet totaled by The (continued on page 11)
By David Purvis-Fenker david@nmpaper.com
Daniel Mull leads members of the Wabash Venture Club No.2901 in hauling debris from the Wabash River banks during the Wabash River Defenders’ Clean Out the Banks event. Photo by Emma Rausch
The old Wabash County Jail and Sheriff ’s House may have been saved from demolition this week. Paul Hayden, director of the Northeast Field Office of Indiana Landmarks, presented an update regarding the property to the Wabash County Commissioners, offering the option of donation and restoration of the property. “What we’d like to do is work as a creative development team of sorts to put together a proposal for the old Wabash Jail. Indiana Landmarks would be (continued on page 26)