County Still Accepting Property Tax Prepayments

There’s still time to make pre-payments on your Wabash County real estate taxes. Treasurer Beverly McBride reported on this week’s county board meeting that her office is still collecting pre-payments through at least the end of this month. So far, almost $91,000 in prepayments has been collected.

The penalty for mobile home taxes is about go up by another $25. McBride said the penalty increases to $75 a month after October 4th. She said 85% of the taxes have been collected leaving a balance due of $4,200. 

Rotary Launches Campaign To Build New City Park Shelter House And Restrooms

Rotary President Joe Judge has announced the Mt. Carmel Rotary Club is launching a capital campaign raising money for the new shelter house/restrooms project at the City Park….

Community Betterment Group Presents Report To City Council

How can Mt. Carmel improve on its’ strengths and perhaps negate some of its’ negatives? Those are a couple of the questions a group of community minded individuals have been tackling for the last two years. The group has dubbed itself, Acme, and presented information to the city council Monday of some of their findings. Acme’s spokesman Tim Raibley said the group looked at a variety of areas…. 

Raibley said the Acme group came up with a litany of positive aspects in Mt. Carmel starting with the Wabash and White Rivers… 

Raibley showed the city council a logo the group had designed dubbing Mt. Carmel as a City on the Move. The council took the group’s recommendations under advisement. 

Acme Spokesman Tim Raibley unveils a new city logo to the City Council Monday night.

WVC seeking applicants for Phyllis J. Schucker Memorial Scholarship

Wabash Valley College is now seeking applicants for the Phyllis J. Schucker Memorial Scholarship.

The Phyllis J. Schucker Memorial Scholarship is a one-time scholarship, established out of love and respect for Phyllis. The memorial scholarship was set up by Phyllis’s niece Rayna Kaasa and her husband Dave Kaasa. They knew how much Chapter FK of the Philanthropic Educational Organization and education meant to Phyllis and wanted to honor her memory in this way.

In order to be considered for the scholarship, students must meet the following requirements:

· They must be a student at Wabash Valley College;

· They must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher;

· They must submit a transcript of courses taken;

· They must submit an essay written by the student, giving a short biography which includes educational goals, career goals and lists any service to the community. This essay does not have a minimum word/page requirement; and

· They must submit a recommendation from a faculty member that has had the student in a course. This recommendation is a statement of confidence in the student’s academic abilities and verification of the student’s good citizenship as a member of the student body at Wabash Valley College.

Don’t miss your opportunity to earn this scholarship; Submit your essay and letter of recommendation today! The scholarship’s deadline is Friday, Nov. 13, at 3:00 p.m. Send all required materials to WVC’s Financial Aid office.

Indiana Governor Announces State to Advance to Stage 5 of Back on Track

INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced that he will advance the state to an updated version of the Stage 5 Back On Track Indiana plan and extend the state’s face covering mandate until at least Oct. 17.

Local governments may impose more restrictive guidelines.

“Indiana continues to experience steady health indicators as Hoosiers change their habits to wash our hands more, practice social distancing and wear face coverings. This allows us to continue to get Indiana Back on Track, and I urge Hoosiers to keep up their vigilance, especially as the days get cooler, so schools and businesses can remain open,” Gov. Holcomb said.

Gov. Holcomb has used data to drive decisions since the state’s first case of the novel coronavirus in early March and he continues to do so. The state continues to monitor and respond to an expanded set of metrics, including:

• The 7-day average positivity rate

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide

• The number of critical care beds and ventilators

• The state’s ability to test all Hoosiers who are COVID-19 symptomatic as well as health care workers, first responders and frontline employees

• Systems are in place to contact all individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and expand contact tracing

• The number of positive cases per 100,000 residents

Under this adjusted Stage 5, face coverings remain required.

Organizers of events with more than 500 people in attendance will be required to submit a plan to the local health department that outlines measures to mitigate COVID-19. 

Restaurants and bars that serve food may open at full capacity as long as six feet of space to maintain social distancing is in place. Customers must be seated at a table or counter.

Indoor and outdoor venues may open at full capacity with social distancing measures in place. Senior centers and congregate meal sites may open with precautions. Personal services and gyms and fitness centers may resume normal operations with social distancing safeguards and cleaning protocols in place.

Details and guidance are updated at BackOnTrack.in.gov and in Executive Order 20-43.

The Governor also signed an executive order extending the public health emergency an additional 30 days.

The executive orders can be found here: https://www.in.gov/gov/2384.htm

Wabash District #348 September 2020 Personnel Matters

The Wabash District #348 school board acted on these personnel items at their monthly meeting Monday night:

Allendale School Board Notes

At the September 2020 Allendale School Board meeting held in the library of Allendale School, the board:

Adopted the 2020-2021 Budget which shows revenue $1,613,839 and expenditures of $1,585,621 for a balanced budget of $28,218 in the black.

Reviewed and approved the serious safety hazard areas on each bus route.

Approved the 2020-2021 Textbook List.

Authorized Superintendent Bowser to hold the Annual Emergency and Crisis Response Plan meeting in the month of October.

Approved membership to the Southern Illinois Junior High School Athletic Association for the 2021 calendar year.

Approved the purchase of new kitchen equipment to replace the ovens, griddle, and stove. Also to purchase a counter and commercial garbage disposal.

Approved an amended school calendar for 2020-2021.

Seriousness Of Water Break Revealed

Last week’s water line break at 3rd and Walnut Streets was a lot more serious than many people may have realized. In fact, water commissioner Justin Dulgar said the situation was so dire, it threatened the city’s water supply….

Dulgar said longtime water department employee Bill Reed told him it was the most stressful situation in his 30 years on the job. According to Dulgar, the remedy in place now is only temporary and officials are trying to determine the best course of action for a permanent fix which will include installing 200 feet of new line.

ST LOUIS MAN WHO STOLE OVER $100,000 FROM CATHOLIC SCHOOL PLEADS GUILTY IN FEDERAL COURT

A former Illinois elementary school principal who embezzled over $100,000 from his own school has been convicted of a federal felony. Roy Joseph Monti, 54, of St. Louis, Missouri, entered a guilty plea this morning to a single count of transporting stolen money across state lines.

According to court documents, Monti previously worked as the principal of St. John the Baptist Elementary School in Smithton, Illinois. In a stipulation filed with the court, Monti admitted stealing $113,061.87 from the school between March 2017 and November 2019. During that time, Monti repeatedly withdrew cash from the school’s bank account for his own personal use. On many of the withdrawal slips, Monti wrote a purportedly valid purpose for the withdrawal, but these explanations turned out to be false and fraudulent. Instead, Monti simply kept the money for himself. Because he lived in Missouri while working in Illinois, Monti often carried large amounts of stolen cash across state lines.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis, Illinois. Monti’s sentence will be informed by the federal sentencing guidelines and federal law. He could receive as much as ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

This case resulted from a referral and investigation by the FBI, with significant assistance from the Smithton Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter T. Reed.

Dr. David R. Miller Appointed To WGH Board Of Directors

Dr. David R. Miller has been appointed to the Wabash General Hospital Board of Directors. The appointment was made Monday by the Wabash County Board of Commissioners after the hospital board approved the recommendation at their meeting last month. Miller fills the vacancy of Larry Briggs who resigned at the first of the year after 27 years on the board. Board chairman Rob Coleman told county commissioners COVID caused a delay in interviewing interested applicants and making a recommendation.

Photo: Credit: https://www.comprehensivedentalcaremtc.com/