Take a look at a book; you'll be hooked

The National Education Association offers the following tips to celebrate Read Across America Day. To learn how Wells County schools celebrated the day, see the Saturday, March 3, News-Banner.

1. Team up with Read Across America partners for your event. NEA's Read Across America has more than 50 national organization partners from the American Library Association to Youth Service America. Check out our partners list and find out if there's a local link for you. Don't forget to contact local businesses and organizations. They're great sources of book donations and volunteer readers.
2. Have your mayor, school board, or legislators issue a proclamation. You can use our sample proclamation to create your own.
3. Hit the airways and read on the radio. Ask your local radio disc jockey to read or even broadcast from your school. They'll love the opportunity.
4. Aim high. Who says high school students won't get involved? High School students love reader's theater and poetry slams, and middle school students can organize book fairs and read to elementary students, or create blogs to engage their peers.
5. Play the pajama game. Invite parents and students to don their pajamas and snuggle up and read in an overnight readathon.
6. Ti your hats to hometown heroes. Have students write to local heroes and ask them about their favorite books. Showcase these hometown heroes and their choices in your reading celebration.
7. Put reading on parade or hold a book lovers' ball. Invite local authors and illustrators and showcase their books and characters in style.
8. Put on your culture cap. Create a culture cafe and put books on the menu. Your reading recipes can combine food and fiction or nonfiction and offer a taste of reading's great adventures.
9. Make your reading event a multilingual, multicultural affair. Looking for readers? Why not try storytellers from your ethnic minority communities. Their oral traditions are treasure troves for your students.
10. Team up for reading. Contact your local sports team for guest readers and invite high school marching bands to welcome your students.

N-B Video: Why I pledge allegiance to the flag

Ossian Elementary fifth-grade student Calista Gerard reads the essay she wrote to win the Bluffton Elks Lodge 796 American Essay Contest. Gerard won both a certificate and a $50 Visa gift card. (Video by Glen Werling)

N-B Video: Sponge vs. cotton at Ossian Elementary

Winners from the Ossian Elementary annual science fair Friday explain the hypotheses and experiments behind their projects, such as what absorbs oil better, sponge or cotton? The top 5 projects are eligible to register for the Northeast Indiana Regional Science and Engineering Fair March 17 at IPFW in Fort Wayne. (Video by Glen Werling)

N-B Video: Wind farms approved in Wells County — the vote

Area Plan Commission member John Schuhmacher makes a motion to approve, with conditions, 86 wind turbines for southern Wells County, leading to a controversial 6-4 vote in favor of the plan. Schuhmacher made the motion after no one would initially make a move to approve or deny Apex Wind Energy's proposal. Members had to regroup for about 30 minutes to regroup and create the proposal that Schuhmacher introduced. The vote followed more than four hours of presentations. The News-Banner will have highlights from these presentations in the days ahead. Due to memory constraints and batteries, this video edited out some of the silence following the first call for a motion, as well as some of the official language from the proposal. Learn more in the Friday, March 2, News-Banner. (Video by Chet Baumgartner)

N-B Video: Fire destroys barn on 500N

A fire that started shortly before 11 a.m. Friday engulfs a barn at 4758E-500N and owned by Charles and Juanita Munson. Learn more in the Saturday, March 3, News-Banner. (Video by Glen Werling)

Wells County has a Leap Day baby

Garrison Erick Foreman was born at 12:30 p.m. at Bluffton Regional Medical Center on Wednesday, Feb. 29. He weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce and was 20.5 inches. His parents are Eric Foreman and Emily Martin of rural Poneto.

Adopt-A-Pet

Zach is a 8-month-old DSH Gray/white, neutered male. Current on vaccines.

Butters is a 8-month-old DLH Orange Tabby, neutered male. Current on vaccines!

Penny is a 1-year-old Boxer mix, female. Sweet girl!

The next low cost spay/neuter clinic will be held on Tuesday, March 6. The price is $50 per cat. Vaccines available but optional for an additional $35. Call the Animal Shelter at 824-6063 for information on how to get an appointment.