One order of business for the Hancock County Commissioners at the board’s first meeting of 2019 was to vote 2-1 to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. The board met Jan. 3. Chairman Antonio Blasi said 13 months ago, the board received 75 signatures “asking us to do this.”

Blasi and new commissioner John Wombacher voted in favor of the change. Commissioner Bill Clark was opposed. Clark said “we should be recognizing our history. The part that Columbus played in our history is significant. If you want to recognize indigenous people, let’s add an indigenous peoples day. I’m really bothered by some of these efforts to remove our history.”