South & Southwest Fort Wayne Indiana News
With the Friday after Thanksgiving—yes Black Friday—we all start thinking about the people on our holiday shopping lists. Here at the Wayne Township Trustee Office we have been busy too, amassing prizes and gifts for the children who will be joining us for our Holiday Celebration. Our seventh
Over the next few weeks we will be celebrating two holidays: Veteran’s Day on Monday, November 12th and Thanksgiving on the 22nd. I have so much respect for our great American Veteran’s, and plan to catch the Veteran’s Day parade held on Saturday, Nov 10 at 11:00 AM at Parnell Avenue &
A couple of years ago AEP determined that the trees along our property were interfering with their electric lines. Our twenty-year-old row of sunburst locusts had to be removed. That uncovered the fact that more changes were needed to prevent erosion and other damage along the portion of ground facing
Earlier this month Bennie Lewis announced his retirement from the Wayne Township Trustee Office. Lewis was one of the people here who helped make the annual Holiday Celebrations successful as he had previously worked with the Fort Wayne McMillen Center where the party has been held for the last three
The Wayne Township Trustee Office will be open for business on October 8, even though that is the state and federal holiday of Columbus Day. For several years now we have remained open on Columbus Day and on the February holiday of President’s Day and allowing our staff off on two other days of
I saw on the front page of the last Waynedale News that September 2nd was the 86th anniversary of this local newspaper. Since I have been in office—almost 12 years now—I have submitted a column in each issue to appear on the POLITICAL page. Though it is called a political column, I have tried
Many people think of Labor Day as just a day off work and maybe a chance to say goodbye to summer. But for over a hundred years, Labor Day has been set aside to pay tribute to working men and women. It has been officially celebrated in the United States since 1894 when President Grover Cleveland and
We are looking forward to August 25th, when the Wayne Township Trustee Office will staff a booth at the Waynedale Community Picnic. For the second year in a row my Deputy Trustee, Austin Knox, will be there to meet and greet those attending this fun-filled event while others of my staff plan to help
Well, it’s that time of year again for students to be thinking about heading back to school. Hard to believe, but Fort Wayne Community Schools will be back in session on August 14. I remember as a child that some of my friends didn’t even want to think about school until they absolutely had to,
The Wayne Township Trustee Office celebrated our 2018 scholarship winners at the monthly board meeting on July 12th. Eleven students ranging from 5th to 11th graders received certificates and new internet-ready Amazon Fire 7 tablets, and four recent high school graduates going on to higher education
I’ve been thinking lately about the Wayne Township Trustee Office mission statement which includes the idea that the Trustee’s office has a dual role of countering the effects of the cycle of poverty while maintaining careful guardianship of the taxpayers’ resources. We fulfill this role by
Well the summer season is in full swing now. School is out, Germanfest is over, and soon the fireworks will begin for the Fourth of July and the Three Rivers Festival. As we do every year, the Wayne Township Trustee Office started our summer event season by participating in the Waynedale Memorial
Earlier this spring a beloved local sports referee, Tom Knox, passed away and my thoughts were with his grandson, Austin Knox, who happens to be Chief Deputy Trustee here at Wayne Township. With Father’s Day coming I asked Austin for a few words about his grandfather, and this is what he wrote:
“’How’s
As I look back over the last several years, I am struck by the changes that I have witnessed while doing the business of township assistance. In 2007, the early days of my administration, the Great Recession was just getting started, and it would become the worst economic situation since the Great
The month of May brings us lots of good things to celebrate—sunshine, flowers, milder temperatures, the end of the school year and Mother’s Day. It’s also the month we here at Wayne Township begin reviewing the applications we receive for our two scholarships: Recognizing Achievement Scholarship
On May 8, Indiana voters will cast primary ballots for United States Senate; Congress; state legislature; county offices such as the Sheriff, Assessor, Recorder, Auditor, Prosecuting Attorney and the Circuit Court Clerk; and for township officials. School board races also will be decided in that election
In Indiana townships, the citizens elect not only a trustee, but also a Township Board. The Board is the legislative body of the township, and its members serve four-year terms. As the legislative body, the Board adopts and oversees the township budget, sets tax rates and approves salaries for township
That was the message from the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, and if you stopped by our office this past month you would have seen on the wall in our lobby the big colorful posters shouting out that message. Step up closer to it and read in smaller print, IndianaDisability
The Wayne Township Trustee Office is taking applications for the 6th Annual Recognizing Achievement Scholarship that it offers to graduating high school seniors who are moving on to higher education. And for the second year we are offering the Academic Encouragement Award, for students in grades 11
Townships exist in various forms in about twenty of the United States. In my previous column I promised to talk about the difference between survey and civil townships. Simply put, a survey township is a plot of land with boundaries that have been drawn to establish regular parcels for ownership.
In the years following 1787, the new government of the United States surveyed the lands of the old Northwest Territory—an area now comprised of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and part of Minnesota—into blocks of 36-square mile parcels called townships. Those townships became the
I recently saw a cartoon calling this past January “The Cruelest Month,” and I could relate. We’ve had record cold temperatures, an awful flu season, dangerous ice and snow, short days and long nights…okay, you’re right, it’s winter; I should be used to it. Still, you can’t blame me
Happy New Year, and welcome to winter! The snow and cold that we’ve recently experienced is making for greater energy usage in all of our homes leading some people to worry about keeping the heat on. I’d like to offer a few tips to counter that.
The first thing I do when the cold sets in is to
I grew up in a family of eleven children and learned at an early age about not having an abundance of material possessions. While I was surrounded by love as a child, I still had difficulty at Christmas understanding why I couldn’t have all the gifts I wanted. And, looking back now, I know the adults
On Saturday, December 16, the Wayne Township Trustee Office will be holding its free Sixth Annual Holiday Celebration from 1:00 to 5:00 PM at the McMillen Park Community Center at 3901 Abbott Street. This year’s celebration will feature fun activities like games, face-painting, bounce houses, a