WABASH COUNTY TOURNEY The 2010 Wabash County Basketball Tournament came to a close Dec. 30 at Manchester High School. The Lady Knights faced the Lady Norse in the girls’ consolation game, while Southwood squared off against Manchester in the boys’ consolation game. The boys’ championship game featured Wabash and Northfield, and the Lady Apaches met the Lady Squires in the girls’ championship game. For summaries see pages 12-13 and 15-16.
CAFÉ DUCIRQUE – page 10 Café DuCirque, 65 N. Miami St., Peru, is a family-owned and operated café and coffee shop with a lot of character and a unique atmosphere. The café gives local artists an opportunity to showcase their work and patrons an opportunity to purchase it. Read more about Café DuCirque in the Dining and Entertainment section of this edition.
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January 5, 2011 NORSE GYM DECK CEREMONY Long time Northfield wrestling coach and education physical teacher Bill Campbell will be honored Jan. 11 as the Athletic Department names the East Gym deck “Campbell Deck.” The East Gym deck has long been the home of Northfield wrestling and also home to a weight facility, conditioning equipment and a two-lane track. Campbell served as Northfield’s wrestling coach for nearly 35 years until his retirement from coaching after the 2003-04 school year. He finished his coaching career with a 283-203 overall mark. His teams won six TRC titles and eight sectionals during his tenure. He was also the head football coach for seven years. “We are excited about the opportunity to recognize Bill for all he’s done for NHS wrestling. Bill is still very popular throughout the state for his coaching and for what he did for our studentathletes. He was a leader by example and I know I’ve spoken with a lot of wrestlers who have shared how much they respect him as a coach and person,” said athletic director Tony Uggen. Uggen. “I know he took some time to mentor me as a (continued on page 6)
In Memorium Joyce Clark, 70 Shirley Combs, 76 Jane Coppock, 69 Geneva Groninger, 102 Dorothy Holton, 89 Lucile Kinsley, 97 Frank Tovlin, 89
Index Classifieds ............21-23 Community News....14, 17-18 D & E ........................10 Sports Shorts ........15-16 Weekly Reports ........8-9 Vol. 33, No. 39
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Commissioners receive complaint in regards to nativity on courthouse lawn by Danielle Smith The Wabash C o u n t y Commissioners, at their Jan. 3 meeting, determined to remain unresponsive to concerns expressed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) regarding the nativity scene on the Wabash County Courthouse lawn. The FFRF is a group of 16,000 Americans, 200 of which reside in Indiana, based out of Madison, Wis. On Dec. 22, 2010, the Foundation sent a letter to the Wabash C o u n t y Commissioners stating that it is “unlawful for Wabash County to maintain, erect or host this nativity scene.” They claim to have received information regarding the nativity from a local complainant. In their letter, the FFRF cited a Supreme Court case, County of Allegheny vs. ACLU of Pittsburgh, which upheld the ruling that a county government’s religious display was an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. “There are ample private and church grounds where religious displays may be freely placed,” the Foundation stated in the letter. “Once the County enters into the religion business, conferring endorsement and preference for one religion over others, it strikes a blow at religious liberty, forcing taxpayers of all faiths and of no religion to support a particular expression of worship.” County Attorney Steve Downs and the commissioners determined that no response was necessary because the
WABASH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS received correspondence from the Freedom From Religion Foundation detailing a complaint about the Christmas nativity scene that has been displayed on the Wabash County Courthouse lawn during the holiday season for several years. The commissioners elected to make no response to the complaint, as the display is maintained by a private entity, not a government agency. (photo by Danielle Smith) nativity is maintained by a private sponsor. “Privately sponsored scenes, or other religious symbols, are permissible on public property that is open to the general public for expressive activity,” Downs stated. He and the commissioners maintain that the scene is erected, maintained, removed and stored by private citizens. “It has been the policy of the County to permit the general public to advocate various causes on the courthouse lawn from time to time,” Downs explained. “To prohibit religious expression in a public forum where other expressive activity is permitted would be a violation of the free speech clause of the United States Constitution.”
Downs, Wabash C o u n t y Commissioners, County Coordinator Jim Dils and the City of Wabash were unsure of the identity of the private individual or group that
maintains the nativity. The display is expected to be removed in the coming weeks, as the holiday season has ended. Sheriff Bob Land began his term by attending the meeting
of the Wabash County Commissioners, which he says will be a regular event. “Randy [Miller] or I or our representative will be at every meeting,” he vowed. “I want to invite every-
body down to my office, it’s an open door. I’ll be there every day.” The commissioners said they look forward to working with Sheriff Land. (continued on page 6)
Planning commission requests citizen input for comprehensive plan
by Danielle Smith Five public meetings will be held in January for the purposes of gathering information from the residents of Wabash County’s rural areas and small towns. This information will be used to create a comprehensive plan for Wabash County. A comprehensive plan is a land use and development plan that lays out residents’ vision for their community. “The comprehensive plan is just a guidebook that will tell us how to write our ordinances,” said Mike Howard, planning commission. Wabash County’s comprehensive plan was last updated in 1965, and many of our ordinances currently in effect are outdated. The Pleasant and Paw Paw townships meeting will be held at Laketon Legion, Jan. 10, 6:30 p.m.; Chester Township meeting will be held at Timbercrest Assembly Room, Jan. 11, 6:30 p.m.; Lagro Township meeting will be held at Lagro Community Building, Jan. 18, 6:30 p.m.; Liberty and Waltz townships meeting will be held at the LaFontaine Community Building on Jan. 24, 6:30 p.m.; and the Noble Township meeting will be held at the Wabash County Courthouse Commissioner’s (continued on page 6) Meeting Room on Jan. 25, 6:30 p.m.