Vol. 38, No. 27
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc. August 26, 2015
www.thepaperofwabash.com Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
State says ‘no new updates’; rural couple finds E. coli in well By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com
More than 300 volunteers of all ages participated in the Wabash County YMCA Togetherhood event on Sunday, Aug. 23. The event provided as a day of service to the Wabash community. Participants made cards, painted buildings and cleaned out the Mississinewa Reservoir among various other services. Photo by Emma Rausch
Local YMCA event gathers volunteers for ‘day of service’ By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com More than 300 volunteers gathered on Sunday, Aug. 23, to serve the community during the Wabash County YMCA’s Togetherhood Day of Service event, according to Kurt Freeman, volunteer coordinator and First United Methodist Church pastor. Togetherhood is the YMCA’s “signature program for social responsibility,” according to the company’s website. However, it does not benefit the YMCA in any way, Freeman said. “The Y decided it wants to help people be better people,” he said. “We want to develop the whole individual, the whole person and so part of that is giving back to the community.” The local YMCA and churches partnered to service the community “outside the walls” of the facilities, Freeman continued. Sunday marked the county’s second annual Togetherhood event. The event provided tasks that “everybody can do,” Freeman said. Volunteers painted with the city’s street department, tended to the community gardens and crafted cards as well as provided various other services to 31 worksites around the county. This year, volunteers also helped clean out the (continued on page 21)
Melinda Kammerer, pastor of Wabash Christian Church, rakes mulch at the community garden, one of 31 worksites tended to during the Togetherhood Day of Service event. Last year, Wabash County YMCA partnered with local churches to create an event that completely benefits the community, continuing that partnership this year and hosting one of the largest Togetherhood events across the nation. Photo by Emma Rausch
There are “no new updates” for the six investigations of E. coli in Wabash, Fulton and Marshall counties, according to Ken Severson, the Indiana State Department of Health media relations coordinator. The E. coli investigations began Aug. 5 after the ISDH was notified of a case of the diarrheal illness on Aug. 4. During a conference call with media outlets on Aug. 14, the ISDH announced that these investigations are being considered an outbreak, refusing to identify the number of cases in each county. Department officials did release that three of the cases did attend a daycare in one of the three counties; however, officials stated that it was not the source of the outbreak. Parents whose children attend the daycare have been notified. The daycare’s officials have cooperated fully with the ISDH and the facility was thoroughly cleaned with bleach water, according to Pam Pontones, Indiana State epidemiologist. No new diarrheal illness cases have been identified at the daycare since Aug. 7. One reason why these cases are under investigation is because a single source has yet to have been identified, according to the Dr. Jennifer Walthall, deputy state health commissioner. The source was likely brought into the daycare and was transmitted from person to person, according to Pontones. The source might likely never be identified, she continued. Meanwhile, a couple on the Wabash-Huntington county line said that they might have a pos-
sible lead. On Friday Aug. 21, the residents called The Paper of Wabash County and said that tE. Coli was found in their well system on their property earlier this year. The couple requested to remain anonymous to not cause panic among their neighbors and other locals and added that they are not sure that the well water was a source of the recent outbreak but wanted to urge some caution. “We wanted to at least inform the people here about what happened to us,” the resident said. “When I read that article, my thought was maybe one of these children that was in that school, maybe they live in the country and they have a well,” the resident’s wife said. “And it could have been that their well was contaminated and, being a little kid that don’t always wash their hands, maybe that’s how it got passed around.” It originally started in June, the resident told The Paper, when he wanted to remortgage his home with Veterans Affairs. As part of the remortgaging requirement, the well system had to be tested. “So they required a water test and it came back with E. coli so they wouldn’t accept me,” he continued. According to a report collected on June 23, the residents’ well tested positive for E. coli bacteria and coliform bacteria. A Veterans Affairs representative brought the couple bottled water because she was worried about their health and safety, he said, and then the residents started buying their own. However, by then it was too late. The resident reported that he and his son both had symptoms similar to an E. coli infection and reported the well test to their doctor. However, he contin(continued on page 8)
County OKs seeking Workforce Development Grant By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com Wabash County Commissioners gave the green light for a local coalition to seek a $250,000 Workforce Development Grant. The county will join forces with Huntington County to seek one of eight grants from the Office of Community and Rural
Affairs. The permission had to come from Commissioners because grant recipients must provide a 20 percent match, of which at least 25 percent must be in funding, according to Keith Gillenwater, President and CEO of the Economic Development Group of Wabash County. Because the grant would be a joint effort between Wabash and
Huntington counties, Wabash’s contribution would be $10, 000 in funding, which Commissioners approved. The program began shortly after Bill Konyha, former EDG President and CEO, took over as OCRA executive director in January. “What they’re doing is putting some Community Development Block Grant
money … to focus on economic development,” Gillenwater explained. “The biggest need in economic development today is training the workforce you need to have to be able to work at the jobs. It doesn’t do you any good to bring jobs if you don’t have anyone that can work there.” Wabash County chose to partner with Huntington County, Gillenwater continued,
“because obviously we share a lot of things in common with them.” A proposal for the grant is due Aug. 28, with the actual application due later in October. The grant, Gillenwater said in answer to a question from Commissioner Scott Givens, would be for adult education. “You have to be 18 and older (continued on page 21)