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HOLIDAY EDITION
County delays funding for development agency over lack of public meetings
Weather Partly cloudy today with a high near 20. Low in the low teens. Snow is possible Wednesday. Angola, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Woman trapped in van in I-69 crash FROM STAFF REPORTS
FREMONT — A Marysville, Mich., woman was trapped inside of her vehicle for more than an hour following a wreck on Interstate 69 near the Indiana Toll Road interchange Monday afternoon. Several people called Steuben County Communications to report a northbound 2011 Chrysler van had crashed and was lying in the ditch, said a report from the Steuben County Sheriff’s Department. When officers arrived they found Jane C. Legaj, 63, trapped in the vehicle. After Legaj was freed, she was taken from the scene by Lutheran Air Ambulance to Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, for treatment of “severe lower body and leg injuries” due to the head-on collision with a guard rail, the report said. Northbound traffic was shut down while officials worked to free Legaj from the van. Legaj was wearing a safety belt, which officers said reduced her injuries. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, which is still under investigation by the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office. Assisting were officials with Fremont Police, Indiana State Police, Steuben County Emergency Medical Service and Angola Fire Rescue.
No paper published on Wednesday The Herald Republican will not publish an edition on New Year’s Day so that our employees may enjoy the holiday. We will resume publication with our Thursday, Jan. 2, edition.
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Index • Classified.............................................. B7-B8 Life................................................................B4 Obituaries..................................... A4, A6, B5 Opinion .........................................................A3 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A6 TV/Comics ..................................................B6 Vol. 156 No. 359
Page A2 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2013 & WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014
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Shake up on airport board Drewes being replaced by Pifer due to political make up of board BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — Steuben County Commissioners appointed rural Angola resident George Pifer to the Steuben County Board of Aviation Commissioners, passing up a reappointment of board member Walt Drewes Monday. Commissioners chose not to
reappoint Drewes based on his primary voting record, which technically negated him from appointment as a Democrat. Under Indiana law, appointments based on political party are determined by one’s primary voting record when individuals select a ballot based on party affiliation. “I think you’re going to have to
replace him,” was County Attorney Don Stuckey’s advice to the commissioners. When askedabout his politics, Pifer said he was a “Jefferso- Drewes nian Democrat.” His appointment received the blessing of Judy Rowe, chair of the Steuben County Democratic Central Committee. Rowe for the last year has been pressing the commissioners on
Showgirl lawsuit, murder cases top list for Steuben FROM STAFF REPORTS
Murder a dominant theme Murder was a theme throughout the year in Steuben County. Zao Garth Burrell, 25, of Angola, was sentenced to 105 years in prison April 5 by Steuben Superior Court Judge William Fee. He was convicted by a jury on March 16 of murder, attempted murder and carrying a handgun without a license. The trial spanned a week and attracted media attention and stringent police security. Burrell shot and killed 40-year-old Brent Dombroski of Angola over a $50 drug deal on June 3, 2012, at a rural Angola residence. He then shot at Steuben County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard McCarty during a pursuit that ended in Ohio with Burrell escaping and on the lam for a day before he was apprehended in Fort Wayne. While Burrell began serving time in the Indiana Department of Corrections in 2013, two more
SEE AIR BOARD, PAGE A2
Nasty weather could ring in 2014
Taking a look back at 2013 Topping the news in Steuben County this year is the ongoing battle between Angola and owners of the Fort Wayne strip club known as Showgirl. The city is embroiled in a federal lawsuit with Alva Butler, owner of Showgirl III, Fort Wayne. In August 2012 Butler bought the former Slider’s property, 310 W. Wendell Jacob Ave., intending to open it as a Showgirl strip club in C-2 zoning where the property sits, which was allowed at the time. The city adopted a sexually oriented business law in September 2012. In November 2012, Angola officials changed the zoning law to allow for sexually oriented businesses only in industrial zones. Butler’s lawsuit is against the city; Building Commissioner Dean Twitchell and Planner Vivian Likes. The lawsuit by Butler alleges violations of his First and 14th Amendment rights and is being litigated in U.S. Federal District Court, South Bend. The suit was filed in March after a number of hearings conducted by the city in 2012. A ruling on the first motion in the case is pending. The city’s attorneys are being paid by Angola’s insurance carrier.
political appointments, not only for vacant positions but of those already seated. “I am very happy that the commissioners are making an effort to comply with the law,” Rowe said. Drewes was disappointed to hear about the county’s decision. He is a retired corporate pilot who has served on the aviation board for four years. “It’s just too bad this had to come about. The commissioners are all Republicans. The
BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com
It looks like the new year will be ushered in with snow, snow and more snow. That’s what the National Weather Service is forecasting for the rest of the week, as significant snow is expected to accumulate from New Year’s Eve through Thursday. Tonight, snow is expected to develop north of a warm front in northeast Indiana with possible snow accumulations of 2-5 inches. There could be heavier amounts of snow near the Indiana-Michigan border. Roads likely will be snow-covered and slick for the holiday. Travelers are encouraged to stay FILE PHOTO BY MIKE MARTURELLO alert to forecasts and weather This sign appeared in late July, covering the advisories and plan travel accordformer Slider’s Grill and Bar sign. The sign is ingly by being prepared. part of the property owned by Alva Butler, Fort Central U.S. temperatures will Wayne, who wants to site a Showgirl strip club continue to be 10-30 degrees at the former Slider’s facility. Butler has been below normal as an Arctic mass embroiled in a federal lawsuit with the city over remains in place. his intent to open a strip club, which is working Online sources suggest people its way through court in South Bend. be prepared for the cold: • Don’t overdress. Wearing murders occurred in Steuben County. clothes that are too heavy or warm Mark Zachery Hines, 28, admitted causes sweat. Once clothes are to shooting and killing Ruben wet, they lose up to 90 percent of Sanchez, 29, on July 7. An apologetic insulating capabilities. Hines was sentenced in November to • Layer, layer and layer. Inner 45 years in prison. layers should be lightweight and The killing occurred after a snug-fitting. The middle layer weekend of partying. Hines and should resist moisture, and the Sanchez were connected through outer layer should be waterproof. Burrell family and the killing followed a • Dress feet, legs and fingers for physical altercation between the two the elements. of them; after Hines and 18-year-old Tyler Lee Biggs • Don’t forget to cover your SEE 2013, PAGE A2 head to avoid losing body heat.
Congress letting tax breaks expire WASHINGTON (AP) — In an almost annual ritual, Congress is letting a package of 55 popular tax breaks expire at the end of the year, creating uncertainty — once again — for millions of individuals and businesses. Lawmakers let these tax breaks lapse almost every year, even though they save businesses and individuals billions of dollars. And almost every year, Congress eventually renews them, retroactively, so taxpayers can claim them by the time they file their tax returns. No harm, no foul, right? After all, taxpayers filing returns in the spring won’t be hurt because the tax breaks were in effect for 2013. Taxpayers won’t be hit until 2015, when they file tax returns for next year. Not so far. Trade groups and tax experts complain that Congress
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is making it impossible for businesses and individuals to plan for the future. What if lawmakers don’t renew the tax break you depend on? Or what if they change it and you’re no longer eligible? “It’s a totally ridiculous way to run our tax system,” said Rachelle Bernstein, vice president and tax counsel for the National Retail Federation. “It’s impossible to plan when every year this happens, but yet business has gotten used to that.” Some of the tax breaks are big, including billions in credits for companies that invest in research and development, generous exemptions for financial institutions doing business overseas, and several breaks that let businesses write off capital investments faster. Others are more obscure, the benefits targeted to film producers,
race track owners, makers of electric motorcycles and teachers who buy classroom supplies with their own money. There are tax rebates to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands from a tax on rum imported into the United States, and a credit for expenses related to railroad track maintenance. A deduction for state and local sales taxes benefits people who live in the nine states without state income taxes. Smaller tax breaks benefit college students and commuters who use public transportation. A series of tax breaks promote renewable energy, including a credit for power companies that produce electricity with windmills. The annual practice of letting these tax breaks expire is a symptom a divided, dysfunctional SEE EXPIRE, PAGE A2
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In this Oct. 29 file photo, House Ways and Means Committee member Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. In an almost annual ritual, Congress is letting a package of 55 popular tax breaks expire. The annual practice of letting these tax breaks expire is a symptom a divided, dysfunctional Congress that struggles to pass routine legislation, said Lewis, a senior Democrat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.