Officials from the City of Wabash and the towns of LaFontaine and Lagro received their oaths of office during a ceremony Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 31, at Wabash City Hall.

Indiana Supreme Court Justice Chris Goff and Wabash Circuit Court Judge Bob McCallen III administered the oaths to the elected officials.

Mayor Scott Long, City Court Judge Tim Roberts and Clerk-Treasurer Wendy Frazier were sworn in, along with Wabash City Council members Mitch Figert (District 1), David Monroe (District 2), Terry Brewer (District 3), Susan Bonfitto (District 4), Doug Adams (District 5) and Bryan Dillon and John Burnsworth (At-Large seats).

Sworn in from LaFontaine were Clerk-Treasurer Diana Heath, Deputy Clerk-Treasurer Pam Whitener, and Town Board members Lori Brane, Jay Gillespie and Ernest John Krhin.

A Kosciusko County businessman has announced his plans to seek the Republican nomination for the Indiana House of Representatives District 18 seat in the May Primary Election.

The man, Alan Alderfer, is seeking the seat currently filled by David Wolkins.

Wolkins, who has served 14 terms in the Indiana House, doesn’t plan to seek re-election.

The district covers Wabash County as well as parts of Kosciusko, Miami and Grant counties.

Alderfer is a certified financial planner and is a partner with the firm Alderfer Bergen and Co., which began 20 years ago. He has been a financial planner for 26 years.

Jenna Hovermale, the new owner of Wabash CrossFit, believes that this new venture is a way for her and her family to help the community accomplish overall health.

“For us, Wabash CrossFit is more of a community, and we took it on more as a ‘let’s see what we can do for the community and for the gym members,’ rather than something that we need in order to support ourselves,” she told The Paper of Wabash County.

Jenna is originally from Arizona, and moved to Indianapolis in 2011 to work for the National FFA Organization after being an agriculture teacher for some time.

She met her now husband, Mark, while living in Indianapolis and together they discovered the world of CrossFit.

Wabash County kids enjoyed free activities during the Winter Bash.

Officials from the Honeywell Foundation put on this event each year toward the end of winter break so that kids from the area can enjoy art, skating and movies.

This year, the bash was on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 2-3.

On Thursday, “Secret Life of Pets 2” showed on the big screen of the Ford Theater once at 1 p.m. and once at 7 p.m., with “Toy Story 4 “showing on Friday.

Donations from local and surrounding churches have helped to relieve 1,683 families, including several from Wabash County, of their medical debts equaling $2,091,635.43.

Pastor Aaron McClary from Markle Church, Pastor Brandon Kelley from the First Church of Christ in Bluffton, and Solomon David, pastor at Bachelor Creek Church of Christ in Wabash, along with those churches congregants raised money and contributed it towards the Christmas offerings. They were able to raise $15,000 which they then donated to RIP Medical Debt.

NORTH MANCHESTER -- Roughly 300 people attended a special meeting of the Manchester Community Schools Board of Trustees to hear about and discuss the corporation's transgender policy Wednesday night, Dec. 18.

The meeting was a result of parents' concerns that MCS was allowing a Manchester Elementary School boy who identifies as a girl to use the girls restroom.

The meeting was in the auditorium of the Manchester Administration Office building (former junior high building) with people standing along the back and side walls after all 250 seats were filled.

School attorney Mark Frantz started the meeting discussing Title IX and case law interpreting Title IX which states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

ROCHESTER -- Alyssa Shepherd received a 4 year jail sentence in connection with the 2018 deaths of three Fulton County children and the injury of a fourth.

In addition, she will spend 3 years on home detention and 3 more years on probation.

Shepherd, who could have been sentenced to 21 years in jail, was convicted October 18 in the deaths of Alivia Stahl and her twin brothers Mason and Xzavier Ingle and the injury of Maverick Lowe. She was charged with three counts of reckless homicide (Level 5 felonies), one count of criminal recklessness – aggressive driving resulting in serious bodily injury (a Level 6 felony) and one count of passing a school bus causing injury when arm is extended where bodily injury results (a Class A misdemeanor).

She also will lose her license for 10 years.

Rettig’s Industrial Supply of Wabash came under new ownership this past Oct. 2019.

Rettig’s has been in Wabash since 1888, when it was founded by Frank J. Rettig.

The company was later sold to a group of investors headed by the Collings Co. The company then saw two new co-managers, Don Brittain and Robert Rumpf, who then bought out the company in 1961, making them co-owners.

Fast forward to Dec. 1999, when Adam Winer began working for then owner, Grant Long. Winer began working and quickly was made Manager of Purchasing and Inside Sales.