Congressman announces Wells County mobile office hours

U.S. Congressman Marlin Stutzman’s mobile office will be open Wednesday at the Art, Commerce and Visitors Centre in Bluffton. Congressman Stutzman’s staff will be available to assist Hoosiers between 12:30-2:30 pm.

County’s jobless rate drops to 6.6 percent

Wells County’s unemployment rate dropped from 8.2 percent to 6.6 percent in April, according to statistics released Friday by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Learn more in the Monday, May 20, News-Banner.

The department also published a county-by-county comparison of unemployment rates. Click on the image below to see how Wells County compares.

Wells County unemployment through the years
2008
• December — 7.7
2009
• January — 9.7
• February — 9.9
• March — 10.9
• April — 10.0
• May — 11.4
• June — 11.3
• July — 10.6
• August — 9.5
• September — 9.1
• October — 9.8
• November — 8.9
• December — 9.4
2010
• January — 9.8
• February — 9.6
• March — 10.2
• April — 9.4
• May — 9.0
• June — 9.3
• July — 9.4
• August — 8.9
• September — 8.4
• October — 8.3
• November — 9.2
• December — 8.3
2011
• January — 9.5
• February — 9.1
• March — 8.6
• April — 7.3
• May — 7.7
• June — 7.4
• July — 7.4
• August — 7.4
• September — 7.3
• October — 7.6
• November — 8.9
• December — 8.0
2012
• January — 8.5
• February — 7.8
• March — 7.6
• April — 6.3
• May — 6.1
• June — 6.8
• July — 6.9
• August — 6.8
• September — 6.8
• October — 6.1
• November — 6.7
• December — 7.1
2013
• January — 8.6
• February — 8.3
• March — 8.2
• April — 6.6

Ossian library holds open house for expanded branch

A number of patrons filled the renovated Ossian library and its new 1,500-square-foot addition Sunday during an open house. Learn more in the Monday, May 20, News-Banner. (Due to technical difficulties, the video featuring head librarian Susan Dailey is not available)

Wells County student writes award-winning play

Wells County home school student Abby Bertsch recently won the Fort Wayne-based All for One Productions annual Young Playwrights Contest sixth- through 12-grade division, and now the organization will produce her play at 7 p.m. Saturday at the First Missionary Church, 701 W. Rudisill Blvd. in Fort Wayne. Learn more about it in the Friday, May 17, News-Banner.

A clean, clear drink of water

Bluffton High School teacher Susan Ballinger’s honors chemistry and advanced-placement chemistry students are working with their fellow students at South Adams High School to deliver cleaner water to Haiti.

Through the project Dots in Blue Water, Bluffton students are raising funds to help build a water filtration unit created by South Adams. Students are also testing water – though not for official purposes — to better practice their classroom material.

You can learn more about the project by watching the video here. You can learn more about Bluffton High School's involvement in the Friday, May 17, News-Banner.

State releases graduation rates

The Indiana Department of Education has released the annual graduation rates for high schools, but local principals say the raw numbers don't tell the whole story. Learn more in the Tuesday, May 14, News-Banner, and to see the statewide rate, click here. You can also ear search schools' rates near the top of the screen.

New law bolsters end-of-life care instructions

Indiana legislators and Gov. Mike Pence have passed a law designed to standardize and better formalize treatment instructions for patients who are chronically ill or have chronically fragile medical condition.

The new instructions, known as Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment, allow patients to more specifically and clearly state their intentions as opposed to living will instructions, said county attorney Keith Huffman, who lobbied for the bill.

To see a sample of the proposed POST form, click on the image below. Learn more about the law's local connection and future in the Monday, May 13, News-Banner.