Serving the Steuben County 101 lakes area since 1857
Police seed man who allegedly fails to register on sex offender, violent offender lists
Weather Cloudy, rain possible, high in the mid-30s. Low tonight 18. Page A7
Page A2 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2013
Angola, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Grissom letter fails to sell at auction CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A letter written by Mercury 7 astronaut Gus Grissom that exposes resentment over the pick of John Glenn as the first American to orbit the Earth has failed to sell at auction. The October 1961 letter to his mother had a high bid of $13,155 in the online sale run by RR Auction of Amherst, N.H. Before the auction ended Thursday, company officials estimated it could bring $80,000. A spokesman said Friday that because the minimum price was not offered, the letter was withdrawn. In the letter, Grissom divulges the flight crew for the first orbital mission. He writes: “All of us are mad because Glenn was picked.” Grissom died with two other astronauts in a launch pad fire while preparing for an Apollo mission in 1967.
Huq takes deal
The plea agreement reached between Mahfuz Huq and the Steuben Huq County Prosecutor’s Office calls for a maximum executed sentence of 40 years. Up to 10 years of probation could be added at the judge’s discretion.
Manslaughter admission made
BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — Mahfuz Huq admitted Friday to voluntary manslaughter, ending a notorious homicide case that has been pending nearly 25 years. Huq, 47, had been scheduled for a change of venue hearing Friday morning in Steuben Superior Court. He appeared before Judge William Fee in jailhouse orange with his Indianapolis attorney, James Voyles, and Angola counsel, Linda Wagoner. They presented a plea agreement that called for a maximum executed prison sentence of 40 years and dismissal
• of charges of murder and intimidation as well as a six-count burglary case. Huq pleaded guilty to Count III, voluntary manslaughter, an additional count filed recently. He allegedly killed Todd Kelley, 19, of Hamilton, on Aug. 9, 1989, in a sudden heat fueled by jealousy because Kelley had been with a girl Huq also had been dating. Fee took the plea under advisement and set a sentencing hearing for April 4 at 9 a.m. in Superior Court. “There are a lot of witnesses that are not in this country,” said Voyles. SEE HUQ, PAGE A7
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Indiana jobless rate falls
Unemployment rates In percentages COUNTY DeKalb LaGrange Noble Steuben Allen Elkhart Indiana* U.S.*
OCT. 2013 6.7 5.9 6.8 6.9 6.7 7.4 7.5 7.3
SEPT. 2013 7.1 5.7 6.7 6.8 7.2 7.3 7.8 7.2
OCT. 2012 8.4 7.3 8.8 8.3 7.7 8.9 8.4 7.9
*seasonally adjusted SOURCE: INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
FROM STAFF REPORTS
INDIANAPOLIS — The jobless rate has fallen below 7 percent throughout the four counties of northeast Indiana, according to reports released Friday by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Data covering two months was released Friday; the September unemployment reports had been delayed due to the government shutdown earlier this fall. According to the report, the unemployment rate fell in all four counties in September, with Noble and Steuben counties joining LaGrange County below 7 percent during that month. DeKalb County dipped below 7 percent in October and was the only area county to see its unemployment drop that month. “Today’s data release was again quite positive for northeast Indiana,” said Ellen Cutter, director of the Community Research Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort
Wayne. “The (10-county) region’s NSA (non-seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate continues to trend downward to 6.82 (percent) in September and 6.55 (percent) in October, notably lower than the state and the nation (both 7.0 percent …).” DeKalb County’s unemployment rate dropped 0.3 of a percentage point to 7.1 percent in September, then fell again to 6.7 percent in October. LaGrange County’s unemployment rate fell 0.5 of a percentage point to 5.7 percent in September, before rising to 5.9 percent in October. Noble County’s unemployment rate dropped 0.6 of a percentage point in September to 6.7 percent, and rose slightly to 6.8 percent in October. Steuben County’s unemployment rate fell 0.7 of a percentage point in September to 6.8 percent, then rose to 6.9 percent in October. SEE UNEMPLOYMENT, PAGE A7
Region’s personal income improving FROM STAFF REPORTS
Coming Sunday
Cooking up a Perfect, Simple Turkey
Got your turkey, but now what? If you are new to cooking this large bird, or if you want a different, simple approach, check out the step-by-step guide on Sunday’s C1. Find recipes for Cranberry salad and new ideas on how to use up those turkey leftovers on Sunday’s C2.
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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.................................................................A6 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion .........................................................A5 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A7 TV/Comics ..................................................B5 Vol. 156 No. 323
Northeast Indiana’s economy has $1.2 billion more in personal income circulating than at this time last year, a new report says. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released 2012 per capita personal income numbers this week. It said northeast Indiana is outpacing the nation by showing a 5 percent growth rate, compared to the national rate of 3.4 percent. The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership is tracking per capita personal income. It said in
2009, per capita income in northeast Indiana was 79 percent of the national average. Today, northeast Indiana has improved to 81.2 per of the U.S. average. Northeast Indiana’s figure is $35,509; the U.S. average is $43,735. For the past several decades, per capita personal income in Northeast Indiana has been declining relative to the nation, but that trend has been effectively reversed in the past three years, the partnership said. “Reversing this downward trend in per capita
income is a great affirmation of our collaborative efforts here in the region,” said John Sampson, president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. “We are on the right track and making visible progress, but there is still much work to be done. We must continue to gain ground and close the gap to become the top global competitor we know this region can be.” The partnership tracks its 10 member counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley.
Dallas, JFK ‘linked in tragedy’ DALLAS (AP) — It was the same time, 12:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 22. It was the same place, downtown Dallas. But 50 years later, the thousands of people who filled Dealey Plaza weren’t there to cheer but to remember in quiet sadness the young, handsome president with whom Dallas will always be “linked in tragedy.” The solemn ceremony presided over by Mayor Mike Rawlings was the first time the city had organized an official Kennedy anniversary event, issuing 5,000 free tickets and erecting a stage with video screens. Somber remembrances extended from Dallas to the shores of Cape Cod, with moments of silence, speeches by historians and, above all, simple reverence for a time and a leader long gone. “We watched the nightmarish reality in our front yard,” Rawlings told the crowd, which assembled just steps from the Texas School Book Depository building where Lee Harvey Oswald fired from the sixth floor at Kennedy’s open-top limousine. “Our president had been taken from us, taken from his family, taken from the world.” SEE DALLAS, PAGE A7
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
The Northern Lakes Nursing & Rehabilitation Center management team celebrated the recent rarity of receiving a perfect score on a Indiana Department of Health survey. Staff members pictured, are, from left, Luke Cobb, director of maintenance; Renee Richardson, wound nurse/ scheduling coordinator; April Zimmerman,
environmental service director; Natalie Shepard, life enrichment team director; Mary Mangus, minimum data set coordinator; Dee Smallman, administrator, Lynn Crover, director of nursing; Jody Hoffman, medical records; Angela Cass, director of dietary services; Lisa Covell, social services and Bridget McShane, nurse liaison.
Northern Lakes deficiency-free BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — Northern Lakes Nursing & Rehabilitation Center has received the rare distinction of earning a perfect survey score from the Indiana Department of Health. The score signified the private nursing home ran by Angola Healthcare, 516 N. Williams St., had zero deficiencies on a survey. Bridget McShane, Northern Lakes nursing liaison, said that top score is quite an accomplishment, as only 9.2 percent of some 15,674 nursing facilities in the nation accomplished that.
“Our survey process was completed Nov. 7 and is required by Medicare and Medicaid to keep our license current,” she said. “This is the first time” receiving the perfect score. McShane said all certified nursing homes receive an annual survey visit from the Indiana Department of Health making sure the facilities are compliant with state and federal regulations. “I think it’s a re-assurance for what all our hardworking staff does everyday in providing quality care in short-term rehabilitation,” she said. “It’s a wonderful accomplishment.”
Northern Lakes has operated for more than 30 years. It has more than 100 employees. The center offers post-hospital, orthopedic rehabilitation and stroke recovery through one-on-one physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapies. It also offers long-term nursing service, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, short-term respite and hospice care. Northern Lakes was honored by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Nursing Homes 2011 and has been rated a five-star facility by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services.
Enter at angoladentalcenter.com for a chance to win a new smile • Some restrictions apply • Guy Moore, DDS