Serving the Steuben County 101 lakes area since 1857
People having a tough time negotiating the winter weather driving conditions
Weather Mix of sun and clouds today with a high near 30 and a low in the 20s. Page A6
Page A3 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013
Angola, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Republic Services announces holiday trash schedule ANGOLA — There will be no collections on Wednesday, Dec. 25, for trash and recyclables due to the Christmas holiday for all Steuben County Republic Services customers. Collections for the rest of Christmas week after Wednesday will be one day later than usual, the company announced. The same adjusted schedule will be followed for New Year’s week.
Food tax fight looms locally BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcnews.net
ANGOLA — A political battle could be looming between Angola and Steuben County over a proposed food and beverage tax only for Angola. Angola Common Council members approved a resolution that favored seeking the tax for the city only. There currently is a food and beverage tax on the books for Steuben County and Angola, sharing equally in the revenue. Coincidentally, Angola and Steuben County officials have been talking with local legislators to get their support on such a measure. Both Angola Mayor Dick
Hickman and Steuben County Council President Rick Shipe talked with state Sen. Sue Glick, R-LaGrange, about the matter Monday. “She was surprised when I told her we were looking at it,” Shipe said. Hickman said he wanted the city to pursue its own food and beverage tax because nothing has happened with the current law for the nearly six years it’s been on the books. “It’s not like we’re wanting to do this, we just want to control our own destiny,” Hickman said. Angola is working to get included on legislation that is going to go before the Legisla-
ture that would enact food and beverage taxes for about a dozen other cities, Hickman said. If the county should decide someday that it would want a food and beverage tax, Hickman said, the law will be written in such a fashion that it would revert to the current law. “I wanted to do this so if (the county) ever wanted to do it it would go back to the way it is now,” Hickman said. “They don’t lose anything if they decide to do it.” The way the law is now, none of the towns would receive revenue from the tax, only Angola and Steuben County. Shipe said he would like to determine an equitable way for
FREMONT — In the last regular meeting of the year, the Fremont Town Council tied up a few loose ends with purchases and financial matters Tuesday. READ MORE ON PAGE A6
Ex-officer headed for protective custody
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AMY OBERLIN
Tom DeAgostino, Innovation One director, explains a project by a Trine University student in the cast metals lab at the Jim and Joan
Bock Center for Innovation and Biomedical Engineering while their Junior Achievement consultant David Koenig, front, looks on.
Students get a look at innovation BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — A class of Angola High School students got a peek into industry during a trip arranged by their Junior Achievement instructor. David Koenig, Steuben County Economic Development Corp. executive director, volunteered to teach real-world lessons to students in Rick Kirkton’s senior economics class. Along with developing their own strategic development plan, the students had the opportunity to tour two of Angola’s industrial showpieces Tuesday. At noon, they went to Innovation One in the Jim and Joan Bock Center for Innovation and Biomedical Engineering at Trine University. Innovation One is an incubator for creativity, invention and design meant to improve education through experiential learning and foster economic development by supporting new and existing business. The Bock Center has various laboratories for cast metals, plastics, biomedical, materials testing and rapid prototyping. Student Jonathon Ingler said JA and the tours were an interesting experience. Ingler, who plans to study criminology at the College of the Ozarks in Branson, Mo., said the coolest part of the trip was the biomechanics at Trine. SEE TOUR, PAGE A3
all municipalities with restaurants and bars to receive a share of the revenue. In Monroe County, the food and beverage tax is set up so the revenue is returned to the jurisdiction where it is generated. Technically, the Steuben County Council could pass an ordinance that would put the current law into effect. The soonest that could happen would be Jan. 14, the next time the council meets. The way the current law reads, it is up to the county to enact an ordinance that would put the law into effect. “We could pass an ordinance, yes, that would put it in place SEE TAX, PAGE A6
Earning chasm hurting economy
Learning About Industry
Fremont ties up loose ends for the year
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A former Indianapolis police officer convicted of killing a man and seriously injured two other people while driving drunk in his police cruiser will serve his 13-year prison sentence in a protective custody unit at the New Castle Correctional Facility. WRTV-TV reported Tuesday that Indiana Department of Correction officials plan to move David Bisard to the New Castle prison 40 miles east of Indianapolis on Friday. He has been housed since earlier this month at the DOC’s Reception Diagnostic Center in Plainfield west of Indianapolis. Bisard was convicted in October of driving drunk and ramming his police cruiser into a group of motorcyclists in August 2010. WTHR-TV reported Bisard’s attorney and prosecutors are close to reaching a plea agreement on a separate, April arrest for drunken driving.
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kpcnews.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — The growing gap between the richest Americans and everyone else isn’t bad just for individuals. It’s hurting the U.S. economy. So says a majority of more than three dozen economists surveyed last week by The Associated Press. Their concerns tap into a debate that’s intensified as middle-class pay has stagnated while wealthier households have thrived. A key source of the economists’ concern: Higher pay and outsize stock market gains are flowing mainly to affluent Americans. Yet these households spend less of their money than do low- and middle-income consumers who make up most of the population but whose pay is barely rising. “What you want is a broader spending base,” says Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James, a financial advisory firm. “You want more people spending money.” Spending by wealthier Americans, given the weight of SEE ECONOMY, PAGE A6
MSD adds fall break AMY OBERLIN
Copper balls created at Univertical Corp. The balls are created from larger pieces of copper then are further refined by the Angola company.
Phone: (260) 665-3117 Fax: (260) 665-2322 Classifieds: (toll free) (877) 791-7877 Circulation: (800) 717-4679
Index • Classified.............................................. B7-B8 Life.................................................................A5 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion ........................................................B4 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A6 TV/Comics ..................................................B6 Vol. 156 No. 347
AMY OBERLIN
Univertical Corp. CEO Chuck Walker talks to Angola High School students Tuesday afternoon. The students toured the Angola facility during a field trip to the Jim and Joan Bock Innovation Center at Trine University and Univertical, which processes copper for the global market.
BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — The Metropolitan School District of Steuben County has added a fall break in October to its 2014-15 calendar. The MSD school board unanimously accepted the calendar at Tuesday night’s meeting, held at Angola High School. The school year will start on Aug. 20 and include days off at the end of the first quarter, Friday, Oct. 24, and Monday, Oct. 27. Thanksgiving break will be three days, Wednesday through Friday, and Christmas break will continue to span two weeks. Spring break will be March 30 to April 3. The board recognized outgoing assistant superintendent Niles Pfafman, who has served the district for nine years. He has worked with the Angola Classroom Teachers Association and budgeting, among other duties. New assistant superintendent Mike Christ has been working alongside Pfafman the past several months, he said. In other business, the board approved the purchase of an activity bus, which will be used to take students to the Impact Institute for vocational training in Kendallville and to sports events in the evenings.