Originally published May 20, 2013.

Woody Schnitz, of Huntington, couldn't wait to enlist in the Army during World War II.

So he didn't wait.

"My dad and Russ Birdsall's dad signed the papers for us to go in - at 17 years old," Schnitz says.

Schnitz attributes being able to skirt the military's age minimum of 18 years old to its policies not being strictly enforced in those days. His service spanned 1945 to 1947.

Originally published May 16, 2013.

"Why don't we have it here?"

That's the question Emily Johnson, seventh-grader at Crestview Middle School, asked about the program Blessings in a Backpack after she saw it at work in Fort Wayne.

Johnson began attending Huntington County Community Schools when she entered middle school at Crestview. She had previously been attending Canterbury School in Fort Wayne, where she had volunteered with the program.

"At our school (Canterbury) we would have a day where we packed the backpacks," she says.

Anyone who attended the Huntington County Senior Expo last year, or the year before, or the year before that, will pretty much know what to expect at this year's event on Thursday, May 23.

The expo will be held from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Merillat Complex fieldhouse on the Huntington University campus.

"We've got a good plan," says John Ulrich, assistant director of the Huntington County Council on Aging, which coordinates the expo. "People like it, so we try to recreate that experience every year."

In just a few weeks, the president's office at Huntington University will be emptied of the collection of college mugs Blair Dowden has accumulated over the past 22 years.

Sherilyn Emberton, Dowden's successor, will add her own personal touches - a few probably reflective of her Texas heritage - to the office.

Dowden plans to stick around campus for a while, helping Emberton learn the ropes and attending a couple of events in June; then, he's going to enjoy some down time with his wife, Chris, and their grandchildren.

Originally published May 9, 2013.

"Everybody seems to be pretty happy," says Rep. Dan Leonard (R-Huntington) of the end result of the 2013 legislative session of Indiana's General Assembly.

Sen. Jim Banks (R-Columbia City) and Leonard wrapped up their duties at the Indiana State House at roughly 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 27.

The House and the Senate discussed some hot button issues to the very end.

The 118th session began on Jan. 7.

Originally published May 6, 2013.

When Lindsie Goss showed up for her first day of work on Monday, May 6, she already had a full plate of things to get done.

Goss is the new Huntington County Emergency Management director, and says her path to the position was an interesting one.

"I've always has a fascination with earthquakes," Goss says. "I have 10 years experience in emergency medicine and was planning to go to medical school."

Many people believe that outsourcing has decimated the manufacturing industry and that jobs are hard to find.
The students enrolled in the Huntington North High School machine trades program would say otherwise.

On Friday, April 26, Huntington North and South Adams High School teamed up for the second annual Northeast Indiana High School Machining Challenge - and representatives of 18 area employers showed up to scout for potential recruits.

Originally published April 29, 2013.

A change in location and more square footage has given the Roanoke Public Library a new look and much more potential.

Library Director Celia Bandelier says the move has opened the door to new possibilities.

"We held our book brigade on March 2 and slowly transitioned to our new location from March 2 to 18," Bandelier says. "We officially opened on March 18."