TUESDAY December 17, 2013
Can’t Win ’Em All
Our View
Pistons deal Pacers first defeat at home
Recycling has lots of room for improvement
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New Hopes Colts back in hunt for higher seed
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Weather Sixty percent chance of snow, high 29. Low tonight 16. Cloudy Wednesday. Page A6 Serving Noble & LaGrange Counties
Kendallville, Indiana
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Sheriff’s department to get equipment GOOD MORNING Council to consider revised ordinance for garage sales KENDALLVILLE — The City Council tonight will consider a revised garage sale ordinance in response to complaints from residents about strict regulations in the original ordinance proposed last month. The revised ordinance eliminates the permit and fee requirement proposed in the original version. The new proposal says sales can be held for three successive days at one location once a month between sunrise and sunset. Personal property must be removed immediately after the last day of the sale, and posted signs must be removed before sunset on the day following the last sale day. Violating the ordinance could result in a $20 fine. The ordinance is eligible for second reading tonight. In other business, the council is scheduled to consider a tax abatement for Harbor Investments III (Graphic Packaging and elected officials’ salaries for 2014. It also will consider a special ordinance authorizing a $400,000 line of credit from Campbell and Fetter Bank at an interest rate of 1.18 percent for the Kendallville Local Development Corp. to pay the remaining balance due for improvements to East Industrial Park. The council meets at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
Menards recalling Christmas trees BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Menards, a chain of home-improvement stores in the Midwest, is recalling 1,800 pre-lit artificial Christmas trees because the lights may overheat, start a fire or cause an electric shock. The artificial trees were sold for about $300 exclusively at Menards stores between September and November, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. The recall is for the Twinkling Pine artificial tree sold under the Enchanted Forest brand.
LETTERS TO SANTA Send your Christmas wishes to Santa Claus kpcnews.com
BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com
ALBION — The Noble County Board of Commissioners Monday approved financing to buy new equipment for the Noble County Sheriff’s Department. The commissioners voted 3-0 to enter an agreement with Campbell & Fetter Bank to finance $17,775 for the purchase of new iRecord equipment for interview rooms at the Noble County Jail. The equipment would replace existing equipment for recording interviews with suspects and witnesses, said Noble County Sheriff Doug Harp. The existing equipment is out of date and beginning to show signs of failure, Harp added.
Financing through Campbell & Fetter saved the county on interest. Campbell & Fetter offered 2.49 percent interest over five years. Manhattan Bank of Kansas, the finance agency recommended by iRecord, offered a rate of 7 percent. In addition to the savings, it’s preferable to do business locally, Commissioner Gary Leatherman said. Also Monday, commissioners: • learned that no bids were received for work for an assessor and appraisal consultant sought by the Noble County Assessor’s Office. The state initially thought the person who would do the work needed to be a Level III certified assessor, because it didn’t understand what work needed to
be done, Noble County attorney Dennis Graft said. Because the work involves an appraiser for appeals only, along with some consultant work, and doesn’t entail anything regarding reassessment, the state no longer feels a Level III certified person is needed for the work, Graft said. With the change in the state’s position, Graft thinks the work may be able to be hired by contract, rather than put out for bid, under state law. • discussed highway department construction standards for the county. Outgoing Noble County highway engineer Michael Fitch put together a set of proposed standards for roads and presented
them to the commissioners Monday. The standards include road and right-of-way widths for different types of roads, along with information on how to address different types of soil in road construction. Fitch said one goal of the proposal is to make it clear what the county will and won’t accept and maintain in roads. The proposal was given to incoming highway engineer Zack Smith for review. He can make revisions to the document and will present it to the commissioners for formal consideration next year. Fitch is retiring at the end of this month. Smith has been hired as the new engineer.
Court cracks NSA WASHINGTON (AP) — In a ruling with potentially far-reaching consequences, a federal judge declared Monday that the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of millions of Americans’ telephone records likely violates the U.S. Constitution’s ban on unreasonable search. The ruling, filled with blistering criticism of the Obama administration’s PATRICK REDMOND arguments, is the first of its kind on the controversial program. Even if NSA’s “metadata” Musicians rehearse for a “Musical Christmas Heaton and vocalist Cassandra Petrie, a third-year collection of records should pass Celebration,” to be presented Sunday at 2 p.m. music performance and education major at Olivet constitutional muster, the judge in the sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church University in Illinois. The program will include said, there is little evidence it of LaGrange, on the northwest corner of the congregational singing of favorite Christmas carols has ever prevented a terrorist courthouse square. The public is invited to attend and hymns accompanied by the church’s newly attack. The collection program with free admission. Featured artists will be restored, 100-year-old Hinners pipe organ. A was disclosed by former NSA the church’s organist, Kevin Ramer, pianist Jan reception will follow the musical celebration. systems analyst Edward Snowden, provoking a heated national and international debate. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon granted a preliminary injunction against the collecting of the phone records of two men who had challenged DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — surpass it,” Otto said, adding that “Lotto players are procrastinathe program and said any such The Mega Millions jackpot soared sales are difficult to predict. tors. They tend to buy on the day records for the men should be to $586 million on Monday amid a That was enough for Drew of the draw,” she said. destroyed. But he put enforcement frenzy of ticket purchases, a jump Gentsch to play one ticket Monday No ticket matched the six of that decision on hold pending that pushed the prize closer to the morning. The attorney from numbers needed to win Friday’s a near-certain government appeal, $656 million U.S. record set last which may well end up at the Des Moines never plays, but the $425 million prize. The jackpot year. jackpot was too good to pass up. was raised Saturday to $550 million Supreme Court. Paula Otto, executive director The injunction applies only to “I think it’s ridiculous but before Monday’s jump to $586 of the Virginia Lottery and Mega you have to dream big,” he said. the two individual plaintiffs, but million. It is currently the fourthMillions’ lead director, said ticket the ruling is likely to open the door “The odds of winning are so low, largest jackpot in U.S. history. to much broader challenges to the sales are ahead of projections for there’s no real reason to play. But Natali Justiniano Pahl, 47, records collection and storage. tonight’s drawing, increasing the it’s fun to do so once in a while.” bought five tickets from a The plaintiffs are Larry likelihood that the record could Between 65 and 75 percent of convenience store in downtown fall by then. If the prize goes the roughly 259 million possible Des Moines. She said the growing Klayman, a conservative lawyer, and Charles Strange, who is the unclaimed for a 22nd consecutive number combinations will be jackpot made her excited, albeit father of a cryptologist technician drawing, the next one likely would in play when the numbers are somewhat weary. who was killed in Afghanistan shatter the record, set in March drawn, Otto estimated. She said “It gets the excitement up, when his helicopter was shot down 2012, she said. the jackpot may be increased one but there’s a point when it’s too in 2011. The son worked for the “I think we’ll be very close more time today in advance of the much,” said Justiniano Pahl, who to the record, and maybe even evening drawing. works in human resources. SEE NSA, PAGE A6
Sounds of Christmas
Mega Millions jackpot grows
Features > Letters to Santa
Info • The News Sun P.O. Box 39, 102 N. Main St. Kendallville, IN 46755 Telephone: (260) 347-0400 Fax: (260) 347-2693 Classifieds: (toll free) (877) 791-7877 Circulation: (260) 347-0400 or (800) 717-4679
Index
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Classifieds.................................B6-B8 Life..................................................... A5 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion .............................................B4 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A6 TV/Comics .......................................B5 Vol. 104 No. 346
Snow likely caused car dealer’s roof collapse BY SUE CARPENTER scarpenter@kpcmedia.com
GARRETT — The safety and integrity of a building housing a longtime Garrett auto dealership is under investigation following a roof collapse Monday morning. Firefighters responded at 8:30 a.m. to Bill Yoder Ford in downtown Garrett, according to reports. City planner Milton Otero said the estimated 7-inch snowfall last weekend more than likely was a contributing factor in the collapse. The service area of the structure had some broken support beams, Otero said. Mechanic Mark Krider was injured when he fell while escaping the area as the collapse occurred, officials said. A DeKalb EMS ambulance crew took him for treatment. Police and fire personnel strung police tape around the entire building and blocked the intersection at the corner of Quincy and Randolph streets in fear the
building might continue to weaken through the day, according to officials at the scene. Insurance investigators and the county building inspector were expected to examine the structure later Monday. Two vehicles were in the shop area of the garage, and one pickup truck remained on a hoist for repair. The heating system and other infrastructure dangled from the ceiling. The sales area at the front of the building was not in jeopardy at the time, officials said. City electric utility workers and NIPSCO gas utility workers dug through packed snow along an alley to disconnect lines to the building. The Garrett police and fire departments were assisted by city utility workers, NIPSCO and DeKalb EMS, along with the city planner and county building inspector. This story was posted on kpcnews.com at 11:10 a.m. Monday.
SUE CARPENTER
The interior of the Yoder Ford service shop shows damage from a roof collapse Monday morning, including broken support beams.