N-B Links: Keep the heat where it belongs

The Bluffton Fire Department started Wednesday evening with a truck fire, and nine hours later, had responded to three more incidents, including another fire.

The National Fire Protection Association warns that the winter cold can spark its fair share of fires, as can holiday cooking and festivities.

Use the following links to learn how to prevent fires, however, and learn more about the busy evening for the fire department in the Thursday, Nov. 21, News-Banner.

• Put a freeze on winter holiday fires

• Keep the fires in the portable fire places

• Be careful with the heat

• Put a freeze on winter fires quiz

• Light, don't ignite, the tree

 

The Hideaway fire — then and now

The Hideaway Lounge at 122 W. Market St., owned by Ed Thompson, burned two years ago last Thursday. The top pictures depicts the ruins a year later — Nov. 15, 2012 — and the bottom picture depicts the remaining rubble essentially two years later, Nov. 20, 2013.

Members of the Bluffton Board of Public Works and Safety met Tuesday and discussed the issue. Learn more in the Wednesday, Nov. 20, News-Banner.

Schools planning calendars for the 2014-2015 school year

Both the Northern Wells and Southern Wells school boards discussed school calendars during their Tuesday, Nov. 19, meetings. Southern Wells board members passed their calendar; Northern Wells is scheduled to vote on it at the next meeting.

To view the Southern Wells calendar, click on the image below.

Click on the image for a larger resolution.
To print it, click on the enlarged image with your right mouse button, save it and then use the photo viewing software of your choice to print the document.

The Northern Wells calendar restores Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day to the school year, and it possibly spreads parent-teacher conferences over two weeks. Learn more in the Wednesday, Nov. 20, News-Banner, and contact one of the school board members listed below to share your opinion.

• Gene Donaghy (Jefferson Township), president, 260-437-9823.
• Scott Elzey (Rockcreek Township), vice president, no home phone number.
• Donna Spear (Union Township), secretary, 260-638-4296.
• Marc Fillers (At-large), 260-747-7700 ext. 111.
• Angie Topp (Lancaster Township), 827-0461

N-B Video: Beth Lampton named Volunteer of the Year

Learn more in the Friday, Nov. 15, News-Banner. (Video by Dave Schultz)

N-B Maps: Compare the current County Council districts to the new and the alternate

The Wells County Commissioners approved a redistricting of the Wells County Council boundaries Monday morning. District 1 is Jim Oswalt, District 2 is Karolyna Farling, District 3 is Todd Mahnensmith and District 4 is Phillip Stoller. Vicki Andrews, Jim Van Winkle and Mike Mossburg are at-large council members. Learn more in the Tuesday, Nov. 19, News-Banner.

Click on the images to enlarge.

The map above shows how the Wells County Council districts have been divided since 1989 – until Monday's meeting, when the commissioners voted to update the districts.

The Wells County Commissioners have approved the above districts for the Wells County Council.

The map above is the option Commissioner Scott Mossburg endorsed.

N-B Video: Severe winds whip through county during Sunday storms

Learn more in the Monday, Nov. 18, News-Banner. (Video by Chet Baumgartner)

Reporter Jessica Williams took these photos after the storm Sunday. The top is near the Wells County Jail, while the bottom was taken near Sonlight Church on Ind. 1 a little south of Bluffton.

This photo was taken in Huntington County, but it illustrates the type of damage in Wells, where people reported ruined swimming pools and missing trampolines.

Also, we were sent this photo of damage to a Dollar General in Marion.

N-B Feedback: Storm's severe winds whip through Wells

Sunday’s strong winds toppled trees, cut power, transplanted a trampoline, reportedly raised some roofs, and knocked over one partially built barn and another finished one in Wells County.

The afternoon storm, with peak wind speeds of 56 mph reported in Bluffton, also generated tornado warnings in the county and Bluffton, though they didn’t transform into actual funnels.

Send any photos of any storm damage to chetb@news-banner.com, and perhaps we'll post them with a future post.

Learn more in the Monday, Nov. 18, News-Banner.