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N-B Video: Wells Chamber of Commerce honors business, citizen and educator of the year

The Wells County Chamber of Commerce honored the citizen, business and educator of the year during its annual banquet and awards program Monday, Jan. 28. Learn more in the Tuesday, Jan. 29, News-Banner. The educator of the year, Southern Wells science teacher Peter Oleson, left before the News-Banner could speak with him. (Videos by Dave Schultz)

USPS is hiring in Indiana

The U.S. Postal Service says it’s hiring 400 new employees across Indiana — including one position in Bluffton.

Potential applicants, however, have until Saturday to apply for the local job, officials say.

To search for jobs, click here.

To learn more about the Bluffton position, click here.

Burglars targeting county, area churches

Huntington County Sheriff Terry Stoffel is seeking the public’s assistance in solving a string of church burglaries.

Stoffel says that 14 churches in Huntington, Wells, Blackford and Grant counties have been burglarized over the past two months.

Most of the victimized churches have been in rural areas, and the crimes have occurred during the evenings, Stoffel says. The thieves have taken musical instruments and electronics from the buildings. Detectives have no leads on either the identity of the thieves or the whereabouts of the stolen items, he added.

Stoffel is asking community members to report any abnormal activity at rural churches, including people loading up items from a church or unknown people at the church.

Anyone noticing any suspicious activity is asked to call the Huntington County Sheriff’s Department at 356-8316.

“We would certainly appreciate their help in this matter,” Stoffel says.

Two churches in Wells County were broken into recently, and items were reportedly taken in one. Learn more about the county burglaries in the Monday, Jan. 21, News-Banner.

Appeal of lagoon citation delayed

The Wells County Board of Zoning Appeals allowed Almco Steel to build a new storage building and Bluffton’s First Church of the Nazarene to erect a new sign Tuesday.

But they didn’t discuss the most controversial topic on the agenda — an alleged zoning violation brewing in a lagoon at 600W and 1100S.

Bruce Leas of Leas Farms, who built and modified the lagoon, was scheduled to appeal the violation at Tuesday’s regular meeting, but he asked the BZA to wait until later.

Since Leas first built the pond that he now wants to transform into a lagoon, his attorneys and county officials have debated if he actually violated ordinances. In particular, Leas contends that, essentially, his lagoon should be grandfathered in, while the county says it shouldn't.

You can read more about the debate in the Wednesday, Jan. 23, News-Banner, as well as two variances the BZA did approve, but for an in-depth look, you can read the attorneys' first and third letter to the county disputing the violation notice and the response of the county, which Area Plan Director Michael Lautzenheiser prepared for Tuesday's meeting.

BHS dances for Riley

Bluffton High School student council members display the grand total raised at the Riley Dance Marathon on Friday, Jan.18. With the help of community and student donations, the BHS student council surpassed their goal and raised $6,269.39 for the patients at Riley Children's Hospital. (Photo provided)

January floods leave distinctive landscape

The twin hydrologic factors of a mid-winter warm spell — rain and melting snow —  combined to raise the Wabash River at Bluffton more than 5 feet over its flood stage this week.

By Thursday, though, Bluffton’s aptly-named River Road was the only thoroughfare that remained closed due to high waters.

However, before the water recedes completely, enjoy these photos from our readers and Facebook friends.

Photo by Sheila Ramseyer

Photos by Peggy Hogsett