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Top 10 Wells County Stories of 2008
1. West side success story
2. Local impact of tax reform
3. State Sen. David Ford dies
4. City court judge resigns after 15 days
5. (tie) Norwell building project revived
5. (tie) YMCA chooses site
7. Hank Esmond injured
8. Kane Krinn dies in accidental shooting
9. Wells begins work on county government reform
10. (tie) Ossian clerk-treasurer resigns
10. (tie) Wells sticks with GOP
The investment of nearly $350 million on Bluffton’s southwest side despite a gloomy economic outlook across the country is the top Wells County news story of 2008.
Current and former News-Banner editors and reporters this month voted on Wells County’s Top 10 news events from a list of more than 80 choices. The number one pick wasn’t unanimous, but nearly so.
While Wells County clearly experienced trying times in 2008 because of untimely deaths and other misfortunes, a myriad of other events also occurred that showed signs of progress and a look at the glass half full.
From major economic development initiatives coming alive in 2008 and creating more than 100 new jobs to the announcement of a new YMCA, Wells County experienced good times during the past 365 days.
“Looking back over the past decade or so, the top stories often have reflected negative events — fires, floods and other events that have negative impacts on the city,” said Bluffton Mayor Ted Ellis. “Taken as a group, investment is certainly one of the most positive happenings in recent history.”
With the untimely death of State Sen. David Ford, to the sudden resignation of elected officials, to property tax reform nightmares, Wells County also experienced trying times.
A plethora of newsworthy events highlighted The News-Banner’s front page throughout 2008, but listed below are the top stories the editors and reporters identified.
Unlike previous years, however, there were two ties in the final list — for fifth and 10th places.
West side success story
1 The top-ranking story of 2008 has been years in the making, but it came to life this year on the city’s southwest side.
Several businesses have invested a third of a billion dollars and brought more than 100 new jobs to Wells County.
From new ethanol and aluminum-billet plants that opened this fall to a relocated engineering facility and machinery, equipment and real estate improvements, signs of progress in Wells County have seldom been more apparent.
“This is very historic in my mind,” said Mike Row, Wells County’s economic development director. “People in Wells County take work very seriously and therefore that produces a great workforce that is very attractive. We offer people a unique place where they can exchange ideas and pursue those ideas. That is what produces greatness in the business world.”
The $349 million in economic growth here was the most of any of the 16 local economic development organizations that reported totals to the state in 2008.
Three projects — Indiana Bio-Energy, Peyton’s Northern and Alexin — accounted for the majority of the $349 million.
“It’s just been an incredible year,” Row said. “It surpasses my every best expectation.”
Star Engineering, a company whose roots go back to 1965 in Wells County, also moved into a new site at 1717 W. Lancaster St.
Since 1972, the business was located at 1205 Wayne St. on the city’s east side. Company officials decided to relocate into a bigger structure once the business outgrew that space. The new manufacturing and office building is 36,500 square feet, almost double the size of the old one.
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