Michelle Davies | The Journal Gazette
Barb Dusseau pushes neighbors Isabella Rash, 7, and brother Gabriel, 6, down a backyard hill while little sister, Julianne, 4, looks on Sunday. Previous Next
Monday, February 01, 2021 1:00 am
City sees most snowfall since 16
ASHLEY SLOBODA | The Journal Gazette
Plows are continuing to clear Fort Wayne s side streets after the biggest snowfall in years.
As snow continued to fall Sunday afternoon, measurements varied from 6 to 9 inches in the area, with 8.2 inches reported at Fort Wayne International Airport as of 1 p.m., said meteorologist Nathan Marsili of the National Weather Service of Northern Indiana.
About 2 inches fell Saturday night while 6.2 inches fell Sunday, making it the third-highest recorded snowfall for Jan. 31, Marsili said. The record was set in 1982 with 10.8 inches, he said.
Schools torn on time out of class
CDC suggests 14 days but say as low as 10 after virus
ASHLEY SLOBODA | The Journal Gazette
Allen County school districts are divided about updated quarantine guidelines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends a 14-day quarantine period, but the agency announced last month that quarantined students and employees could return to school and work on Day 11 if certain conditions were met.
Fort Wayne Community Schools has stuck to the 14-day rule, but the three other school systems have adopted the revised guidance.
“You re going to find, in every district, a slightly different interpretation of whether to do this or not,” Superintendent Phil Downs told the Southwest Allen County Schools board last week.
Credit FILE PHOTO: Rebecca Green / WBOI
Indiana schools have consistently experienced a spike in COVID-19 cases following the holidays, and this January has been no exception.
On Jan. 11, 11 days after New Year’s Eve, there were 426 new positive COVID-19 student cases in Indiana, according to the Indiana COVID-19 Dashboard and Map.
Similar spikes occurred on Dec. 7, 11 days after Thanksgiving when there were 611 new positive student cases and on Nov. 9, 9 days after Halloween when there were 715 new positive student cases.
These statistics come from the 2,072 Indiana schools that have chosen to report their COVID-19 data to the state. 296 schools have yet to report this information.
SACS superintendent sets plan to retire
Downs informs board he ll be on till Dec. 31
ASHLEY SLOBODA | The Journal Gazette
Superintendent Phil Downs added another task Tuesday to the Southwest Allen County Schools board s to-do list: find another district leader.
But he assured the five members they have time to hire his successor. He won t retire until Dec. 31.
“Your legacy is that incredible group of administrators and staff and teachers that we have here,” board President Brad Mills said. “We know we have an incredible team, and that s the best gift you could give us.”
Downs said he is proud of Southwest Allen employees.
Carroll saw 63 COVID-19 cases
Warsaw High was among highest in state in 2020
ASHLEY SLOBODA | The Journal Gazette
One northeast Indiana school ended 2020 with the unenviable distinction of leading the state in student COVID-19 cases.
With 149 cases, Warsaw Community High School has more than double the number of students infected with the coronavirus than Carroll High School, the Allen County leader of student cases.
Carroll, of Northwest Allen County Schools, has reported 63 student cases to the state s school virus dashboard, which is updated Mondays.
The dashboard reflects information as of the previous Friday, and it suppresses totals of five and fewer.