N-B Video: Susan B. Anthony, Leonardo da Vinci and more visit Southern Wells

The Southern Wells sixth-grade students held their annual wax museum Friday, Feb. 28. Students dressed as historical characters and shared their life stories with parents, visitors and other students. (Video by Jessica Williams)

N-B Photos: Southern Wells hosts annual wax museum

The sixth grade students of Southern Wells hosted their annual wax museum program Friday for parents and fellow students. There were 27 different historical figures portrayed, including Susan B. Anthony, Henry Ford, William Shakespeare, John Deere, Anne Frank and Thomas Jefferson. (Photos by Jessica Williams)

Mayor Ted Ellis gives State of the City address

Mayor Ted Ellis, during his annual State of the City address, announced that a public-private partnership will provide better signage for the Bluffton Decker Industrial Park on Bluffton’s west side, and he also said the city will eventually implement similar-looking signs throughout other Bluffton as well.

The following illustrations, provided by Ellis, depicts the future of Bluffton's signs. Learn more in the Thursday, Feb. 27, News-Banner. To read Ellis' entire speech, click here.

N-B Feedback: Alleged theft ring members make court appearances

Preliminary pleas of not guilty were entered this week for five people allegedly involved in a slew of thefts last year.

The accused associates were arrested for several incidents around the county last summer and fall.

At least four victims were specifically listed in court documents.

On at least two occasions, the suspects were accused of entering the homes of family and acquaintances under the pretense of performing work and stealing items such as jewelry and garbage bags full of model trains.

Also, according to court documents, the suspects sold some of the items through at least one pawn shop.

Currently, Bluffton has no pawn shop ordinance, but Fort Wayne does, and it requires that "pawn shop dealers shall submit to the Fort Wayne Police Department each business day, all required data set forth by Fort Wayne Police Department regarding items pawned at that business during the preceding 24-hour period of operation."

Furthermore, the ordinance states that "all goods or articles containing valuable metals purchased ... shall be retained ... for a period of not less than 36 hours after its receipt before any such goods or articles may be disposed of or sold."

Should Bluffton consider a similar ordinance? Should pawn shop dealers have to wait before selling jewelry or any item? How long should they wait? Tell us in the comments section below, and learn more in the Wednesday, Feb. 26, News-Banner.

Remodel of Bluffton-Harrison elementary school may cost $10M

Bluffton-Harrison Superintendent Wayne Barker told school board members Monday that he currently anticipates spending about $10 million to renovate the elementary school.

But, he said, he also hopes to reduce that cost as others finalize more details.

Regardless, though, Jim Elizondo of City Securities will attend the March 17 board meeting to more specifically discuss the proposed renovations’ impact to taxpayers.

Barker said he will also recommend to board members in March that they hire Dan Rawlins of InterDesign to essentially coordinate the renovation work.

In December, he first introduced school board members to a proposed — and hypothetical — remodeled and expanded school that could accommodate the increase and help maintain the average teacher-student ratio at about its current levels.

Click on the illustrations to see the current layout and the layout Barker and board members reviewed Monday. Learn more in the Tuesday, Feb. 25, News-Banner.

Current layout

Hypothetical layout

Bluffton-Harrison turns doors into books for "We Love Reading" Month

Most people open books to read them — not go through them.

But not at Bluffton-Harrison Elementary School, where students and teachers decorated their doors with book-related themes this week to celebrate the school’s second “We Love Reading” month.

The students each designated the best door among the grade levels and among nonclassroom doors, and then they selected a best overall door from among their earlier choices.

 

Becky Stotlar's class won the first-grade award. Pictured are, left to right, McKenna Bunch, Noemi Real,
Joselyn Mason, Averi Petty and Dakota Jennins

Shelbi Zelt's class won the fourth-grade award. Pictured above are, left to right, Zelt, Garrett Pauley,
Hannah Laughery, Lily Paul, Makayla Robles and Wyatt Girod.

Stephanie Hiday's class won the kindergarten award. Pictured above are, left to right, Hiday,
Jake Boots, Alyssa Hartman, Jacob Huffman and Gabrielle VanCamp.

The front office won the best nonclassroom door.

Principal Julie Meitzler won the best overall door with her basketball hoop,
inspired by the book "Hoop Kings."

Lindsay Schroeder's class won the second-grade award. Pictured above are, left to right, Allison Tungate,
Andrew Hunt, Kader Simpson, Zoe Morrison, Marina Reynolds, Caleb Gerber, Schroeder and Coral Neuenschwander.

Jenny Lambert's class won the third-grade award.

 

N-B Links: Norwell student revives his mother after learning CPR, rescue breathing in classroom

Austin Combs had about 10 minutes to prevent irrevocable brain damage.

His mother wasn’t breathing — and wouldn’t wake up after lying down — and the only other adult was talking to the 911 dispatcher.

But 12-year-old Combs, a seventh-grade student at Norwell Middle School, enrolled in Aquatics Director Jon Gates’ aquatics class the semester before, and he learned on a mannequin how to perform CPR and give rescue breaths.

And by the time Wells County EMS arrived at the Ossian residence, Combs’ mother could tell them to return to the hospital without her.

Her son had done his homework that Friday night.

Learn more in the Saturday, Feb. 22, News-Banner, and click on the links for the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association, both of which offer online CPR/rescue classes.