Serving the Steuben County 101 lakes area since 1857
Steuben third-graders exceed state average in reading testing Page A2
Weather Partly cloudy today with a high in the upper 70s. Low in 50s. Page A6 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2013
Angola, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Card party next Wednesday ANGOLA — Cameron Memorial Community Hospital’s auxiliary is holding its annual card party on Wednesday at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 700 W. Maumee St. The party is from 1- 4 p.m. and includes homemade desserts and door prizes. Tickets will be available at the door starting at 12:30 p.m. or at the hospital gift shop for $5 apiece. Details are available by calling 667-5336.
Story times starting up at Carnegie ANGOLA — Registration is required for children’s story times starting next week at Carnegie Public Library of Steuben County, 322 S. Wayne St. Spaces are limited and sign ups are at 665-3362, ext. 25, or at steuben.lib.in.us. Story times include sessions for 2- and 3-yearolds Mondays or Wednesdays at 10 a.m., Toddler Time on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and for preschoolers on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. or Thursdays at 10 a.m.
Woman critical after battery at campground PIERCETON — A 24-year-old woman from Columbia City was taken to a hospital in Fort Wayne in critical condition after she was battered at a Pierceton campground over the weekend. The Post and Mail reports the woman got in a dispute with Patrick Zimny, 54, of Glenwood, Ill., about use of a clothes dryer unit at Jellystone Campground. Police said the woman was injured in the front temple area of her skull, and eventually fell unconscious as she attempted to return to her campsite.
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Stutzman wary over Syria Congressman to take part in intelligence briefing today BY MATT GETTS mgetts@kpcmedia.com
U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Howe, has a pair of distinct questions he needs answered before he even thinks about voting in favor of military action against Syria. Saturday, President Barack Stutzman Obama announced that he would be seeking congressional approval
before launching any kind of military strike in retaliation for what he said was the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The administration says 1,429 people died from the attack Aug. 21 in a Damascus suburb. Casualty estimates by other groups are far lower, according to The Associated Press, and Assad’s government blames the episode on rebels who have been seeking to
Senate panel backs Obama on Syria WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s request for speedy congressional backing of a military strike in Syria advanced Wednesday toward a showdown Senate vote, while the commander in chief left open the possibility he would order retaliation for a deadly chemical weapons attack
even if Congress withheld its approval. Legislation backing the use of force against President Bashar Assad’s government cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on a 10-7 vote after it was stiffened at the last minute to include a pledge SEE SYRIA, PAGE A6
SEE STUTZMAN, PAGE A6
Steuben starts budget process
Merlins are quite the attraction For the past three weeks, the discovery of what is believed to be the first-ever nesting of Merlins in Indiana has drawn bird watching enthusiasts from far and wide who have been descending on Pokagon State Park to catch a glimpse of the falcon-like birds of prey, including this crowd on Labor Day. The birds and eventually a nest were first discovered by a birder from Michigan who was visiting the park. The discovery, which has been labeled as significant by Indiana Department of Natural Resources experts, has created quite a buzz among bird watchers because other than during migration, Merlins are usually found hundreds of miles from Indiana for their breeding range, typically in Canada.
BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com
PHOTOS BY FRED WOOLEY
Clarification An item in Wednesday’s edition about DVDs from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival Parade of Classics should have said DVDs may be ordered at any KPC Media Group newspaper office. All DVD orders will be filled within several days. The DVDs include video of the complete parade.
ANGOLA — Steuben County Council members started working on the 2014 budget with lots of cutting to do Wednesday. Requests from department heads exceeded by about $1 million the revenue anticipated by Steuben County Auditor Pam Coleman. To start the budget process, department heads requested some $10.841 million in spending in the general fund. That compares to a 2013 budget of nearly $10 million. Throughout the summer the council had been given an indication of what was to come during this year’s budget-writing season. Many department heads have requested additional staffing, particularly in the area of law enforcement and the judicial branch of county government. “Adding people is just killing us. Just put a gun to our heads,” said Councilwoman Linda Hansen. Hansen lamented over how the county has been having difficulty over the past several years with not only salary increases, but longevity increases in pay for county employees. Throughout the course of this year, each time more staff was requested or there was a move to a part-time to full-time status, council members told the department heads to bring those requests back during budget season. And that time is now, and the price tag is evident. Sheriff Tim Troyer has SEE BUDGET, PAGE A6
Cardboard regatta gearing up for Saturday PHOTO GALLERIES: Vintage racers at AMS; high school volleyball
Charlie’s Spider Fighters captures hidden cardboard regatta contest
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Index • Classified.............................................. B6-B8 Life.................................................................A5 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion .........................................................A3 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A6 TV/Comics ..................................................B5 Vol. 156 No. 244
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
The Lake James Stump Island Monster breathes smoke and can bite. It will accompany Lake James resident Larry Bassett to this weekend’s cardboard boat regatta.
ANGOLA — As the Steuben County United Way’s Cardboard Boat Regatta draws near, at least one more boat has been entered into the competition that will be held Saturday. That’s because the crew from Charlie’s Spider Fighters took first place in the “Where’s the Boat” contest promoting this year’s regatta, which will be held at the beach at Potawatomi Inn, Pokagon State Park, starting at 1 p.m., a United Way news release said. For winning the competition, Charlie’s wins a boat made by boat master Mike Wyss and free entry to the regatta. In addition, Charlie’s received $100 cash.
Seven boats from last year’s race, along with location clues, were placed at various businesses throughout the county including Dry Dock Marine, Sutton’s Deli and Pizza, Farmers State Bank, Rose Brothers, The Bull Pen Cafe, Joyce Public Library and Austin Budreau State Farm Insurance. There’s still time to register a boat for the competition, the news release said. In addition, there will be numerous activities for people of all ages, especially children, so even if people are not in the race, there will be plenty to do during this family oriented event. For more information, visit unitedwaysteuben.org or call 665-6196.