Serving the Steuben County 101 lakes area since 1857
Winter storm expected to bypass northeast Indiana Page A2
Weather Snow possible this afternoon. High 30. Low tonight in the teens. Page A8 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2013
Angola, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Treasurer candidate to address local GOP ANGOLA — Don Bates, a candidate for Indiana Treasurer, will be the guest speaker of the Steuben County Republican Breakfast Club on Saturday. The club meets at Timber’s Steakhouse and Seafood, 1212 W. Maumee St., starting at 8 a.m.
Koomler to be next auditor Former auditor was planning a run to return to seat she held 1999-2006 BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — Kim Koomler is coming back to take the seat as one of Steuben County’s chief fiscal officers. The Steuben County Republican Party’s Thursday caucus chose Koomler to fill the auditor position. There were no other candidates. The auditor’s seat will be
vacated with the resignation of Auditor Pam Coleman, effective Jan. 1. Coleman is in her second term as auditor and is leaving to pursue other professional endeavors. Koomler worked her way up through the auditor’s office, serving as chief deputy auditor under then-Auditor Linda Hansen, who’s currently a Steuben County Council member; then was
Steuben County Auditor for two terms — eight years — and served nine years as payroll/human resources deputy. Koomler is currently Koomler communications manager for the Indiana Department of Child Services dealing in constituent services as a liaison for the governor’s office. Koomler said she was planning to run for auditor in the next
Prairie Heights’ 50th anniversary memories on display
PRINCETON (AP) — Toyota says it has begun production of its 2014 Highlander SUV at its plant in southwestern Indiana. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana Inc. says because of the Highlander it has invested another $430 million into the automotive plant in Princeton, about 25 miles north of Evansville. Toyota also plans to add 600 more jobs at the factory by the end of 2014. The plant in Princeton builds a gasoline version of the Highlander and will begin producing a hybrid version early next year. The company said vehicles made in the plant also will be exported to Russia and Australia.
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.............................................. B6-B8 Life.................................................................A3 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion ........................................................B4 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A8 TV/Comics ..................................................B5 Vol. 156 No. 335
election, but by Coleman’s resignation, the process was expedited. She said she missed the challenge of the auditor’s job in dealing heavily with numbers, taxes and fiscal matters. The hardest part of the position, she said, is distributing county allocations to public schools and governmental entities in a timely fashion. “I loved the work. It was a challenge,” Koomler said. “I know what it takes in the job. I’m looking forward to getting back.” Koomler said she’s proud of SEE KOOMLER, PAGE A8
Colleges receive millions
BRUSHY PRAIRIE — Borrowed items showing nostalgia of the history of the Prairie Heights Schools Corp. is currently on display to celebrate its 50th anniversary of incorporation. Prairie Heights Superintendent Alan Middleton said Thursday the items are in a display case for viewing at Prairie Heights High School, 245 S 1150E. The items demonstrate the history of joining of four high schools to create Prairie Heights: Flint, Orland, Salem Center and Springfield Township (Mongo). Middleton said the display’s focus was on how the school looked in its early days and relays much history of the corporation.
Toyota begins 2014 SUV production
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kpcnews.com
Trine among institutions getting $1M BY LINDA LIPP llipp@kpcmedia.com
and prisoner No. 46664 paved the way to racial reconciliation with well-chosen gestures of forgiveness. He lunched with the prosecutor who sent him to jail, sang the apartheid-era Afrikaans anthem at his inauguration, and traveled hundreds of miles to have tea with the widow of Hendrik Verwoerd, the prime minister at the time he was imprisoned. His most memorable gesture came when he strode onto the field before the 1995 Rugby World Cup
A group of northeast Indiana colleges and universities pooled their resources to help each win a $1 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. The grants to Trine University, the University of Saint Francis, Huntington University, Manchester University, Grace College and Indiana Tech were announced Thursday by Lilly. They are among 39 Indiana institutions that will receive a total of nearly $63 million for programs to help increase the number of state residents with bachelor’s degrees and help graduates attain higher skilled jobs. Goshen College also will receive a $1 million award. The Ivy Tech Foundation will receive nearly $5 million, and the Indiana University Foundation and Purdue Research Foundation are getting $5 million each. The grants are being offered as part of the Lilly Endowment’s Initiative to Promote Opportunities Through Educational Collaborations. The grant application process goes back to 2012, when Lilly offered planning grants to the colleges and universities to come up with proposals for programs Lilly might help fund. In May, the endowment rejected
SEE MANDELA, PAGE A8
SEE GRANTS, PAGE A8
MIKE MARTURELLO
Corporate toboggan night There were quite a few imaginative costumes donned at the fourth Angola Area Chamber of Commerce Corporate Speed Challenge at the Pokagon State Park toboggan slide Thursday night. This group of tooth fairies was from Angola Dental Center. The crew included, from left, Dr. Kelli
Thiel, Cody Kuryvail, Brandy Freudenber and Holly Danklefsen. There were about 40 teams involved in this year’s event, which aims to raise awareness of the winter fun available in Steuben County, particularly the popular toboggan slide. Pokagon’s slide is in operation through the end of February.
Statesman Mandela dead at 95 JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Nelson Mandela, who became one of the world’s most beloved statesmen and a colossus of the 20th century when he emerged from 27 years in prison to negotiate an end to white minority rule in South Africa, has died. He was 95. South African President Jacob Zuma made the announcement at a news conference late Thursday, saying “we’ve lost our greatest son.” His death closed the final chapter in South Africa’s struggle to cast off apartheid, leaving the world
with indelible memories of a man of astonishing grace and good humor. Rock concerts celebrated his birthday. Hollywood stars glorified him on screen. And Mandela his regal bearing, graying hair and raspy voice made him instantly recognizable across the globe. As South Africa’s first black president, the ex-boxer, lawyer
Park deer hunts rote management method BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com
LAKE JAMES — The controlled deer hunts at Pokagon State Park have become business as usual these days. This year marked the 19th year since the hunts started in Pokagon and the 20th anniversary of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources using hunts to thin deer populations at state parks and reservoirs. “It’s become a routine part of our management now,” said Fred Wooley, Pokagon’s interpretive naturalist. “Now it is just a matter of business as usual. It’s become
Bethlehem the Day after
Christ
was born
pretty routine. When I left the park (Tuesday night) the same three deer I have been seeing in the Sweetgum picnic area were still there. Patrolman Bill Cady saw four in the campgrounds. We still see deer, but there are 49 less and we maintain the park and reach our management objectives.” The Legislature gave the DNR the power to use necessary means to achieve a natural balance of flora and fauna on its properties. Prior to that taking place in the 1990s, there were no checks in place on wildlife. Only invasive plants were dealt with. SEE HUNT, PAGE A8
FRED WOOLEY
Michelle Cain, an information specialist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife, and Michael Carney, a video journalist with the Division of Communications, take a coffee break while participating in the deer reduction hunt at Pokagon State Park on Tuesday. Cain was hunting and Carney was recording it for the DNR.
DECEMBER 7 & 8, 2013 • 1:00 - 5:00 P.M. A Walk-Through Drama • Our 24th Year Cast of over 200 • All Indoors • Thousands have walked these streets. NO ADMISSION CHARGE What Others Have Said About Bethlehem Marketplace: ❖ I have been to Jerusalem and this is the closest experience to the old city of Jerusalem I have ever seen. ❖ 4 Stars and 2 thumbs up. ❖ A living history lesson. ❖ You enter into another time and world when you walk those streets.
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I have never experienced anything like this before. Rated PG; some of it is too realistic for kids. This must have been what it was like in Biblical times. One of the Tri-State area’s most dramatic presentations of the Christmas story. ❖ I am bringing my whole church next year. They have to experience this.
Fairview Missionary Church Phone: 260-665-8402 www.fairview-missionary.org
525 E 200 N, Angola, IN (1 mile east of Meijer and Menards)