The preschool program operated by Nettle Creek Schools will be able to offer grants to help families of 4-year-olds pay for it. Nettle Creek Discovery Preschool and Daycare has been certified as a Level 3 provider by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. That means it is sufficiently staffed and meets certain program quality […]
Author Archives: Bob Hansen
Bob Hansen is a reporter for the Western Wayne News.
Lincoln selects a new football coach
Lincoln High School’s new varsity football coach is a familiar face to the Golden Eagles. Western Wayne Schools’ board hired Jeremy Bane as head football coach on Feb. 14. Bane, a special-education teacher at Lincoln, is LHS’ varsity wrestling head coach. Superintendent Andy Stover told the board that Bane “has been doing an incredible job […]
Shhh: Listen for the new buses
As a new yellow bus started forward, one of the half-dozen school staff on board hollered out from her seat in the back, “Oh my gosh! We’re moving.” Two days later, a post on the Northeastern Wayne School Corp. website gave the reason: “Listen carefully; they are quiet,” wrote Kelly Plank, the district’s director of […]
Town police save money by training their own
By being able to conduct training on its own, Hagerstown Police Department kept its training cost at $1.76 per hour in 2023, according to Police Chief Keith Folkner. In the police department’s annual report, Folkner said HPD officers completed 849 training hours in 2023, keeping within its $1,500 budget. Many other aspects of police operations […]
Hagerstown’s final eclipse planning meeting is Feb. 21
Local plans for the days leading up to the April 8 solar eclipse will be made final during a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in The Meeting Place, 11 E. Main St., Hagerstown. “This will be the final opportunity for people to ask questions about what kind of things are planned for […]
Clay Township has a new trustee
Mari Lynn Taube of rural Greens Fork became the Clay Township trustee in January. She replaces Rebecca Cool, who moved out of the township. Taube is moving the township office into her home at 10029 Swoveland Road, west of the town of Greens Fork. The office will be open by appointment, she said. To make […]
Northeastern Middle School gets new principal
A veteran teacher with expertise in how teens think is the new Northeastern Middle School principal. Clayton Smith is currently the Northeastern High School assistant principal. He is transitioning to middle school after his approval by the school board on Jan. 24. “Clayton comes to us with a great deal of experience. He has had […]
Water leaks into Northeastern school building’s brick walls
When Superintendent Matthew Hicks said his trip to Northeastern Middle/High School’s roof “was like an Indiana Jones movie,” he didn’t mean a fast-paced adventure in search of treasure. Rather, he spoke of the building’s brick walls. “When I touched them, they just turned to dust,” Hicks said. “The brick face has eroded and water is […]
Jefferson Township food pantry growing
Nearly 1,800 households in western Wayne County received food from the Jefferson Township food pantry in 2023. It is expanding to offer personal care products to people who need them. Located in the township building at 37 E. Main St., Hagerstown, the food pantry is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays. It serves people from […]
Hagerstown sees a leadership change
Planning and building on individual strengths have brought new sidewalks and lighting to Hagerstown over the past decade. Leading the Town Council for most of that time has been Becky Diercks as president and Brian Longbons, pro tem. Both voluntarily stepped away from those positions. On Jan. 2, the council elected Allan Bullock as its […]