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Weather Partly cloudy skies with a 30 percent chance of rain. A high of 56 and a low of 34. Page A6
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013
Angola, Indiana
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Three families move up on Habitat list GOOD MORNING State’s working poor highlighted in studies INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A pair of reports released last week highlighted different angles of the continuing troubles faced by Indiana’s working poor and raised questions about who ends up paying for their safety net. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that 182,000 residents fall into a health insurance coverage “gap” because the state has not expanded Medicaid coverage and a jobs study from the University of California, Berkeley found almost half of Indiana’s fast food workers are also receiving public assistance. The two reports provided sobering details as the state continues to struggle to pull out of the recession — the unemployment rate has hovered above 8 percent for more than a year now while the median income has declined over the past decade. It also helped shine some light on why the state’s leaders have been so heartily focused on improving job training programs statewide. “It’s not a good state to be poor, or out of work, or uninsured,” said Morton Marcus, a veteran Indiana economist and former professor at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Putting the health care gap in context: there are 182,000 adults earning between roughly $2,700 and $11,500 a year who will not receive federal health insurance. That excludes poor residents with children and Indiana’s elderly, who receive Medicare. The Kaiser report found that Indiana’s numbers are not out of step with other states which have not expanded Medicaid under the federal health care law, but also noted that in the states which did approve an expansion, there is no insurance gap. That shortfall could be temporary here, however. Republican Gov. Mike Pence, long a vocal critic of traditional Medicaid, has said he would like to see the state expand the Healthy Indiana SEE POOR, PAGE A6
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Index • Classified.............................................. B6-B7 Life.................................................................A5 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion ........................................................B4 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A6 TV/Comics ..................................................B5 Vol. 156 No. 290
ManMania event planned by group BY KATHRYN BASSETT kbassett@kpcmedia.com
AUBURN — Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Indiana has three families who have completed the requirements and are on the waiting list for a home. The agency that serves DeKalb, Noble and Steuben counties also has an additional six families who have been board-approved for a home and are working on required classes and sweat equity hours. “It is such an exciting time for us” said board member Marianne Stanley. “But it is also frustrating
because we simply don’t have the funding for these families that are working so hard to make their dream of stable housing a reality.” Habitat is planning a major event with the goal of raising at least $60,000. ManMania is a two-day event that will take place Jan. 11 and 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the National Military History Center and Kruse Automotive Horse Power and Carriage Museum. The event’s primary audience will be adult males. Activities will include demonstrations, tough-man contests, vendors, food
and drink, museum admission and a Habitat ReStore section. Habitat is looking for event sponsors. Sponsorship levels are $5,000, Super Man Sponsor; $3,000 Mega Man Sponsor; $2,000 Tough Man Sponsor; and $1,000 Manly Man Sponsor. There are multiple sponsorship benefits, including company listings in event brochures, posters and banners, signage at the event, vendor table space,
event tickets and more. Stanley said Habitat’s northeast Indiana chapter holds mortgages for 54 partner families in DeKalb, Noble and Steuben counties. “We know how to build, and we know how to make family dreams become a reality,” Stanley said. “We just need funding to make it happen.” Tickets for ManMania will go on sale Nov. 1 and cost $20 apiece. Call the Habitat office at 925-2508 for ticket information. For sponsorship information, contact Stanley at mstanley1303@att.net or call the Habitat office.
GOP: It’s not over Republicans AMY OBERLIN
“Life,” a 24,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, hangs in the basement of Steve Briskey of rural Angola, left. Briskey spent more than three years assembling
“Life” with the help of family and friends, becoming the first in the state to complete the puzzle.
Putting it all together
making Obamacare their next target
WASHINGTON (AP) — “Obamacare” escaped unharmed from the government shutdown Republicans hoped would stop it, but just as quickly they have opened a new line of attack — one handed to them by the administraVideo at kpcnews.com BY AMY OBERLIN tion itself. aoberlin@kpcmedia.com Steve Briskey’s While Congress was arguing, son Kyler kept ANGOLA — Piece by piece — President Barack Obama’s plan to STEUBEN COUNTY a video log like any long-term labor of love expand coverage for the uninsured during the more suffered a self-inflicted wound. — the world’s largest puzzle went than three-year together. A computer system seemingly process of It was assembled in the designed by gremlins gummed up Record puzzle when he read an building the basement of a rural Angola home the first open enrollment season. article in a newspaper on Dave world’s largest by Steve Briskey and occasional Landwehr of Ottoville, Ohio, the After nearly three weeks, it’s still assistants. More than 14 feet long, first person in his state to complete puzzle. See excerpts in an online not fixed. video at kpcnews.com. Scan the the 24,000-piece creation took three it in January 2008. Republicans hope to ride that QR code to watch it on your tablet years and four months to complete “I wanted to be the first and other defects they see in or smartphone. — a total of 819.45 hours. the law into the 2014 congresin Indiana,” said Briskey. He Briskey kept track of sional elections. Four Democratic achieved his goal, and has logged everything, from the moment his success at worldslargestpuzzle. senators are facing re-election for he opened the box and mixed com on the Hall of Fame blog. the puzzle, which was assembled the first time since they voted for together four separate bags of A California family was the in his family’s basement. He the Affordable Care Act, and their 8,000 pieces each. The bags held first to put it together in 2007 and defeat is critical to GOP aspiraused saw horses, foam board and the four quadrants of the puzzle, the first individual to complete a 16-foot table to first sort, then tions for a Senate majority. and Briskey decided he wanted to the puzzle was a woman from Democrats say that’s just more begin piecing together the puzzle. combine them for difficulty. Belgium. wishful thinking, if not obsession. “When I had a chance, I was A jigsaw aficionado, he found Briskey has videos and Although Obama’s law remains down here working,” said Briskey, out about the Guinness World photographs of the progression of SEE PUZZLE, PAGE A6 divisive, only 29 percent of the public favors its complete repeal, according to a recent Gallup poll. The business-oriented wing of the Republican party wants to move on to other issues. Americans may be growing weary of the health care fight. WASHINGTON (AP) — “This is the law of the land at Sixteen days in October could this point,” said Michael Weaver, a change everything, or not much self-employed photographer from at all. rural southern Illinois who’s been Will the partial government uninsured for about a year. “We shutdown prove to be the turning need to stop the arguing and move point after three years of partisan forward to make it work.” skirmishing in Washington? Or It took him about a week and was it just a halftime show to fire half, but Weaver kept going back up the players? to the healthcare.gov website until With federal employees back he was able to open an account at work for now, lawmakers are and apply for a tax credit that getting a chance to find a comprowill reduce his premiums. He’s mise on spending cuts and settle not completely finished because their vast differences. If they he hasn’t selected an insurance fail, they risk a repeat shutdown plan, but he’s been able to browse in mid-January, followed a few options. weeks later by the recurring It beats providing page after danger of the government AP This is the first-in-class Zumwalt, the largest U.S. Navy destroyer page of personal health informadefaulting on its debts. ever built, is seen at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The tion to insurance companies, A look at where things stand christening of the Zumwalt was canceled once because of the Weaver said. after the shutdown: government shutdown. But plans call for the ship to be moved to Under the new law, insurers dry dock in Maine and fl oated without fanfare in the coming days have to accept people with health The players now that the shutdown is over. problems. Weaver is in his mid-50s, with high blood pressure • President Barack Obama won and high cholesterol, but otherwise a round by refusing to back down. R-Ohio, conceded a loss for his a name for himself by leading the The public didn’t applaud his party. But personally he came tea party charge toward shutdown. in good health. He says those common conditions made it hard handling of the crisis, but scored out OK. Boehner placated his About half of the respondents in for him to get coverage before. congressional Republicans even boisterous tea party-backed a recent Associated Press-GfK Although Weaver seems lower. Obama’s overall approval members by letting them take a poll knew enough about Cruz to rating held steady, and so did the doomed stand against the health form an opinion — impressive for to have gotten past the major website obstacles, he’s still finding nation’s divided opinion of his law, then got credit for finally a senator elected less than a year health care law. He strengthened allowing the shutdown to end on ago. The bad news for Cruz? Their shortcomings. There’s no place to type in his medications and find his hand for next time. mostly Democratic votes. opinion was negative by a 2-1 • House Speaker John Boehner, • Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, made SEE SHUTDOWN, PAGE A6 SEE GOP, PAGE A6
Angola man first in state to assemble largest puzzle
NEIGHBORS
Shutdown is over; what’s next?