Åuburn may get Most unvaccinated Cubs beat a sports complex don’t want the shot Diamondbacks Area State Page 12 Page 3 Sports Page 6 The News-Bannerwww.News-Banner.com MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021 BLUFFTON, INDIANA • Wells County’s Hometown Connection $1.00 Wells, NE Indiana at full employment County’s jobless rate stands at 3.3 percent, tied for 10th lowest in the state By DAVE SCHULTZ Region 3 — Adams, Allen, DeKalb, ployment exist across the state — Wells County once again has one of Grant, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Kokomo-Muncie-Marion, Terre Haute, the state’s lowest unemployment rates. Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whit- and the northwest Indiana/South Bend The Indiana Department of Work- ley counties — are considered at “full area. force Development released its prelim- employment” with a jobless rate under “We are heading into a period where inary unemployment rates for June last 5 percent. The analysis notes that we can more reliably make compari- week. Those numbers showed Wells Grant County had the region’s high- sons to a year ago, as the public health tied with Steuben County at 3.3 per- est unemployment rate at 4.9 percent restrictions started to lift, but June cent. That was the 10th-lowest mark — the only county in the region to be 2021 doesn’t look anything like June among Indiana’s 92 counties. above the state’s 4.7 percent rate. 2020 from a labor market perspec- Two other northeast Indiana coun- The analysis also says that all of the tive,” said Rachel Blakeman, director ties tied for the lowest unemploy- counties in EGR3 had an increase in of the Community Research Institute ment rate in the state, with Adams and the number of unemployed workers in at Purdue-Fort Wayne, said in a state- LaGrange both at 2.8 percent. June compared to May. Three counties ment. “I’m taking the slight bump in The Community Research Institute in the region — Grant, Huntington, unemployed workers for last month as at Purdue University-Fort Wayne and and Wabash — had fewer people look- a positive sign indicating a confidence Northeast Indiana Works, in an analy- ing for work in June than were doing in finding employment, especially sis of the data, notes that all 11 coun- so in May. because there have been minimal lay- ties in the state’s Economic Growth Clusters of above-average unem- (Continued on Page 2) Hunter Voght is shown beside the “Little Library” he con- structed and donated to the Bluffton Parks Department, which is now located in Roush Park beside the Girl’s Softball Field. Little Free Library now at Roush Park By BARBARA BARBIERI Bluffton’s newest Little Free Library is now open for book lending at Roush Park next to the girl’s soft- ball field. It was a gift to the city by Trail Life USA member Hunter Voght. Hunter constructed the book enclosure as a ser- vice project to earn his Freedom rank in the Christian scouting organization Trail Life USA. He currently has the Horizon’s rank in the organization which is offered through the Hope Missionary Church in Bluffton. Hunter is the son of Marybeth and Adam Voght ‘Pickle power’ and has constructed a second Little Free Library, which he also has presented to the Bluffton Parks Not much information has been publicly released yet about the mural project in Markle at the corner of Ind. 3/Clark Street Department. and Ind. 116/Morse Street, but work progressed over the weekend on what looks to be a pickle riding a tractor. The art- Parks Department Director Brandy Feichter work is on the exterior wall of The Pickle and the project is being led by the Huntington County Visitor and Convention explains that registration for the Little Free Library in Bureau. (Photo by Jessica Bricker) the national registration of them is underway. How- ever at this time the location of the second Little Free Library has not been decided. Friends of the Wells County Public Library will be Fauci says U.S. headed in ‘wrong direction’ keeping the Roush Park Little Free Library stocked. The Little Free Library at the campground at Oua- WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The ment’s leading public health officials. are already calling on individuals to bache State Park also is kept stocked by the Friends United States is in an “unnecessary Also, booster shots may be suggested wear masks in indoor public spac- of the Library while the one at the Bluffton YMCA is predicament” of soaring COVID-19 for people with suppressed immune es regardless of vaccination status. kept filled by the Wells County Public Library staff. cases fueled by unvaccinated Ameri- systems who have been vaccinated, Fauci said those local rules are com- Another Little Free Library is located across the cans and the virulent delta variant, Fauci said. patible with the Centers for Disease street from the First Presbyterian Church’s park- the nation’s top infectious diseases Fauci, who also serves as Presi- Control and Prevention recommenda- ing lot. It is kept stocked by Marie Gilliom and her expert said Sunday. dent Joe Biden’s chief medical advis- tion that the vaccinated do not need friends. “We’re going in the wrong direc- er, told CNN’s “State of the Union“ to wear masks in public. All of the Little Free Libraries have books for all tion,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, that he has taken part in conversa- More than 163 million people, or ages and encourage folks to take a book or leave a describing himself as “very frustrat- tions about altering the mask guide- 49 percent of the total U.S. popula- book. No library card is required. ed.” lines. tion, are fully vaccinated, according [email protected] He said recommending that the He noted that some local jurisdic- to CDC data. Of those eligible for the vaccinated wear masks is “under tions where infection rates are surg- vaccine, aged 12 and over, the figure active consideration” by the govern- ing, such as Los Angeles County, (Continued on Page 2) California’s largest fire burns homes as blazes scorch West INDIAN FALLS, Calif. (AP) Saturday. “It has been burning in resort area. About 10,000 homes higher humidity predicted for — California’s largest wildfire An updated damage estimate extremely steep canyons, some remained under threat, officials this week, said Marcus Kauff- merged with a smaller blaze and was not available Sunday, though places where it is almost impos- said. man, spokesman for the Oregon destroyed homes in remote areas fire officials said the blaze had sible for human beings to set foot Firefighters also reported Department of Forestry. with limited access for firefight- charred nearly 298 square miles on the ground to get in there,” progress against the nation’s larg- The lightning-caused fire has ers, as numerous other fires acres of timber and brush in Plu- he said. “It’s going to be a long est wildfire, the Bootleg Fire in burned 67 homes, mainly cabins, gained strength and threatened mas and Butte counties. It was 21 haul.” southern Oregon, containing 46 and at least 2,000 houses were property across the U.S. West. percent contained. Still, crews made progress Sat- percent of the blaze that had con- under evacuation orders. The massive Dixie Fire, which Firefighters carrying hand urday by proactively setting fires sumed nearly 640 square miles. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown told started July 14, had already lev- tools were forced to hike through to rob the main blaze of fuels, More than 2,200 firefight- CNN’s “State of the Union” that eled over a dozen houses and rugged terrain where engines Carhart said. ers battled the blaze, focusing it’s imperative federal and state other structures when it combined can’t go, said Rick Carhart, The fire prompted evacuation Sunday on constructing contain- authorities invest in mitigation with the Fly Fire and tore through spokesman for the California orders in several small mountain ment lines at the north and east- such as tree thinning and preven- the tiny Northern California com- Department of Forestry and Fire communities and along the west ern edges in dense timber. Crews tive burns to limit the number munity of Indian Falls after dark Protection. shore of Lake Almanor, a popular could get a break from rain and (Continued on Page 2) Inside Outside Online How to contact us: Call us: 824-0224 Local/Area or 1-800-579-7476 Follow us on Facebook! Obituaries. 3 Fax us: 824-0700 Police Notebook . .3 Go to www.facebook.com/ newsbanner [email protected] ————— On the Web: Opinion Sunny and warm for Place Your Classified www.news-banner.com Dave Schultz . .4 the next three days Ads 24/7 Follow us at: Today Tuesday Wed. twitter.com/newsbanner Also... High 89 High 89 High 87 Vol. 92 No. 224 Sports. 6-7 Low 64 Low 67 Low 71 Classifieds . 8-9 MONDAY Diversions . .10 More Weather on Page 2 July 26, 2021 Page 2 • The News-Banner • MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021 LOCAL/NATION Wells Weather (Continued from Page 1) many employers continue lizing a number of incen- Training opportunities also Monday, July 26, 2021 off notices and the contin- to struggle to find enough tives to attract workers and exist for people considering (24-hour observations at 8:38 p.m. Sunday) ued need for workers across workers,” said Rick Far- have also taken advantage of career changes or contem- High: 85; Low: 68; Precipitation: 0.26” industries.” rant, director of communica- the latest round of Employ- plating re-entering the work- Wabash River Level (at the Main Street bridge): 1.56 “It is definitely a market tions for Northeast Indiana er Training Grant funds to force.” feet at 7:45 p.m.