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Cinerama Angola Strand offering unique, free widescreen experience
Weather 40 percent chance of snow after 1 p.m. today Page B5 Angola, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Southern Indiana counties under travel advisories INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Emergency managers kept travel advisories posted Saturday for most southern Indiana counties following a winter storm that dumped more than 10 inches of snow on some locations and contributed to the deaths of two motorists. All but three Indiana counties bordering the Ohio River had travel advisories or more serious travel watches in place Saturday evening, and one, Crawford County, was under a travel warning, restricting travel to emergency management workers only. In all, 31 counties posted travel advisories of various levels. The advisories likely kept many people off the roads. No major travel incidents or other problems were reported Saturday.
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The greatest gift “Now that they are adults, they don’t require the care they did when they were young, of course. But, now one of my sons is in need of a kidney, and I am blessed with two healthy ones. ... It was an easy decision.” The Rev. Candy Kaiser
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Mother, son doing fine after kidney transplant BY BOB BUTTGEN bbuttgen@kpcmedia.com
LIGONIER — Relief and happiness flooded the family of the Rev. Candy Kaiser and her family on Friday, following a delicate kidney-transplant operation at the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis. Kaiser, pastor at Ligonier United Methodist Church, donated one of her kidneys to her son, Brad Robinson, and the first reports coming out of Indianapolis from
Friday’s operations are encouraging. “I got to visit with Brad for a few minutes late this morning,” Kaiser said Saturday afternoon from her hospital bed. “I am having quite a lot of pain today, but seeing him smiling and looking good is the best pain reliever ever!” The operations took several hours and were done in side-byside operating rooms at the medical SEE TRANSPLANT, PAGE A8
US vet home from N. Korea
Holiday Traditions
85-year-old Merrill Newman detained since late October
Massive crowds, world leaders to honor Mandela JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa expects overwhelming crowds and a host of world leaders to attend services honoring late President Nelson Mandela, though with the ceremonies only days away officials acknowledged Saturday they couldn’t offer specifics yet. Across the country, South Africans already have begun honoring Mandela, who died Thursday at age 95, and officials expect tens of thousands to participate in next week’s official services. In their first statement since Mandela’s death, his family said they had “lost a great man,” just as they had when South Africa’s apartheid government imprisoned him for decades.
PATRICK REDMOND
CHRISTMAS S
PARADE
DR. GAFF ON FACEBOOK Leave comments and questions for Dr. Terry Gaff facebook.com/DrTerryGaff
Contact Us • The Herald Republican 45 S. Public Square Angola, IN 46703 Phone: (260) 665-3117 Fax: (260) 665-2322 Classifieds: (toll free) (877) 791-7877 Circulation: (800) 717-4679
Index • Classified.............................................. D5-D6 Life................................................................ C1 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion .........................................................A6 Business ......................................................B5 Sports.................................................... B1-B4 Weather.......................................................B5 Vol. 156 No. 337
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Brad Robinson and his mother, the Rev. Candy Kaiser from Ligonier United Methodist Church, are shown just hours before they entered the IU Medical Center on Friday morning for a kidney transplant. She donated one of her healthy kidneys to her son, and both patients are reported to be doing fine.
anta Claus rides atop a fire truck Saturday during the 45th annual Kendallville Christmas Parade. East Noble High School’s show choir sang carols during the event. Hickory Creek at Kendallville was the overall winner in judging of parade units. In the category of most unique, Bixler Lake Campgrounds took first place, and Girl Scout Troop 10101 took second place. In the parade theme category, the Kendallville Parks & Recreation Department took first place, and Cub Scout Pack 3105 took second place. The parade theme was “Christmas Through the Years.”
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A tired but smiling 85-year-old U.S. veteran detained in North Korea for several weeks returned home Saturday to applause from supporters, yellow ribbons tied to pillars outside his home and the warm embrace of his family. Merrill Newman arrived at the San Francisco airport after turning down a ride aboard Vice President Joe Biden’s Air Force Two in favor of a direct flight from Beijing. He emerged into the international terminal smiling, accompanied by his son and holding the hand of his wife amid applause from supporters. He spoke briefly to the assembled media, declining to answer any questions or discuss his ordeal. “I’m delighted to be home,” he said. “It’s been a great homecoming. I’m tired, but ready to be with my family.” He also thanked the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, North Korea, and the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for helping to secure his release. Newman was detained in late October at the end of a 10-day trip to North Korea, a visit that came six decades after he oversaw a group of South Korean wartime guerrillas during the 1950-53 war. Last month, Newman read from an awkwardly worded alleged confession that apologized for, among other things, killing North Koreans during the war. Analysts questioned whether the statement was coerced, and former SEE VET, PAGE A8
Questions remain on Affordable Care Act BY MATT GETTS mgetts@kpcmedia.com
The Affordable Care Act’s website, healthcare.gov, is running more smoothly, according to one area insurance agent, but questions about the ramifications of the new law remain. “Who knows if this is going to work?” said Rick Roark of Roark’s Insurance Service in Auburn. “And who knows what this is going to be two years from now?” Specializing in health coverage, Roark is one of the few agents who have become certified to help
people buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act. The federal government has extended the deadline for people to sign up for a new policy until Dec. 23 for plans taking effect Jan. 1, Roark 2014. With a goal of everyone in the nation having health insurance, the Affordable Care Act has brought some positive benefits, Roark said. Those who qualify to have their
insurance premiums subsidized by the federal government get the benefits immediately through lower payments rather than waiting until the following year to claim a tax credit on income tax returns. According to Roark, approximately 48 percent of people qualify for some sort of subsidy, based on annual household income. A single person who earns less than $45,960 qualifies. The figure jumps to $62,040 for a couple. A family of four that earns less than $94,200 also likely will qualify for
some sort of subsidy, Roark said. Roark said the earnings are based on what everyone in the household earns, not just the main breadwinner. “You have to include everybody’s income,” he said. Another positive is that people who apply for health insurance, through the government marketplace available for perusal online or through private policies, no longer can be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition, Roark said. He estimated that in the past, approxSEE INSURANCE, PAGE A8