Tuesday & Wednesday, December 31, 2013 & January 1, 2014
Back In Sync
Our View
Colts in groove for playoffs
Business tax change could force decisions
Page B1
Illini await Hoosiers to open Big Ten action
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HOLIDAY EDITION Weather Partly cloudy, high 22. Low tonight 14.
GOOD MORNING No newspaper New Year’s Day This newspaper will not publish an edition on New Year’s Day so that our employees may enjoy the holiday. We will resume publication with our Thursday, Jan. 2, edition.
Northern Indiana diocese receives court injunction SOUTH BEND (AP) — A federal judge has approved a preliminary injunction banning the enforcement of portions of the federal health care overhaul that would have forced a northern Indiana diocese to pay for birth control in employee health care plans. U.S. District Judge Jon DeGuilio issued a ruling Friday granting the injunction to the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, its Catholic charities and other associated groups. DeGuilio wrote that the diocese has shown “some reasonable likelihood of success on the merits” of the case and that the harm likely to be caused without an injunction “is imminent and irreparable, whereas the government faces no risk of harm, let alone irreparable harm, if the preliminary injunction is granted.”
Decision clears way for challenges of property tax errors MUNSTER (AP) — An Indiana Tax Court judge has ruled that a 1989 state regulation imposing a three-year limit to correct errors on property taxes was repealed in 2000 and not replaced, clearing the way for state residents to ask county auditors to correct errors for the past 13 years. Judge Martha Blood Wentworth said in her ruling Friday that any petition to correct a post-2000 error in property tax payments, credits or deductions must be considered timely filed. She acknowledged the ruling “has the potential to open the floodgates” of error appeals, but said she could reach no other conclusion.
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.................................B7-B8 Life.....................................................B4 Obituaries..........................A4, A6, B5 Opinion ............................................. A3 Sports.........................................B1-B3 TV/Comics .......................................B6 Vol. 104 No. 359
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Kendallville, Indiana
Winter blast to greet new year BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com
It looks like the new year will be ushered in with snow, snow and more snow. That’s what the National Weather Service is forecasting for the rest of the week, as significant snow is expected to accumulate from New Year’s Eve through Thursday.
Tonight, snow is expected to develop north of a warm front in northeastern Indiana with possible snow accumulations of 2-5 inches. There could be heavier amounts of snow near the Indiana-Michigan border. Roads likely will be snow-covered and slick for the holiday. Travelers are encouraged to stay alert to forecasts and weather
advisories and plan travel accordingly by being prepared. Central U.S. temperatures will continue to be 10-30 degrees below normal as an Arctic mass remains in place. Online sources suggest people be prepared for the cold: • Don’t overdress. Wearing clothes that are too heavy or warm causes sweat. Once clothes are
wet, they lose up to 90 percent of insulating capabilities. • Layer, layer and layer. Inner layers should be lightweight and snug-fitting. The middle layer should resist moisture, and the outer layer should be waterproof. • Dress feet, legs and fingers for the elements. • Don’t forget to cover your head to avoid losing body heat.
A Look Back At 2013
City marks big year FROM STAFF REPORTS
KENDALLVILLE — Kendallville celebrated its 150th birthday in many ways this year. A committee of volunteers organized events focusing on the city’s history. Celebrate Kendallville 150th included a family picnic in Bixler Lake Park, an ice cream social, a state proclamation ceremony, “A Salute to Kendallville” stage production directed by East Noble Theatre director Craig Munk, a collector car and art show, a parade and a replica of the William Street popcorn stand, Other events included tours of historic places including churches, homes, Flint & Walling, the McCray mansion, Lake View and old city cemeteries and the downtown business district. There was a fly-in at the Kendallville Airport, a fireworks display over Bixler Lake, a Civil War camp re-enactment, lunchtime talks about Kendallville’s history, a restored windmill installation at the Mid-America Windmill Museum, a children’s one-room schoolhouse camp and a 5K run. The final event this month was the burial outside City Hall of a time capsule containing 400 items, not to be opened until 2063. — Dennis Nartker
Courier plant expands KENDALLVILLE — The city’s biggest employer got bigger this year. Courier Corp. installed two HP T410 color inkjet presses in its 200,000-square-foot warehouse at 3094 Lester Drive, creating Courier Digital Solutions. They are the company’s largest presses and two of only three operating in the United States. Courier Kendallville, with its main plant at 2500 Marion Drive, employs more than 650 people. The local operation publishes 200 million books a year. — Dennis Nartker
Ligonier factories grow LIGONIER —Two of the largest employers in the West Noble area expanded their factories and created more than 200 new jobs. Tenneco, which builds exhaust systems for several major vehicle manufacturers, added about 50,000 square feet to its plant on Gerber Street in the city’s industrial park. The expansion allowed the company to create 100 new jobs. On U.S. 6, the Guardian Automotive plant also increased the size of its factory and spread the word that it also had about 100 new jobs to fill. — Bob Buttgen
Community leader dies KENDALLVILLE — The sudden and unexpected death of Don Moore on Jan. 12 sent
FREE FINANCING til 2015
with Van’s Card
CHAD KLINE
Jerry Jansen, center, pulls a float for the Kendallville Rotary Club with a large cake carrying the
a shock wave through Noble County. A civic leader in Kendallville and Noble County and the owner of WAWK radio “The Hawk,” Moore had just been re-elected as Noble County Council president. His death left an opening there and in the hearts of many in the area. Gov. Mike Pence honored Moore as a Sagamore of the Wabash posthumously in December. — Bob Braley
Controversial defendant faces new charges LAGRANGE — Christy T. Shaffer, a Topeka woman who served less than three months of her 10-year prison sentence for neglect involving the death of a toddler, returned to court in November, this time charged with two drug crimes. Shaffer, 35, was arrested just outside Topeka after she was implicated during the Nov. 1 arrest of two men charged with manufacturing methamphetamine. She is charged with maintaining a common nuisance and possession of methamphetamine. LaGrange County Judge J. Scott VanDerbeck released Shaffer from prison after she served only 77 days of the 10-year sentence he imposed for neglect of a dependent in the 2009 death of 16-month old Alissa Guernsey.
Schools face security issues ALBION — A proposal from Noble County Sheriff Doug Harp to train and arm teachers at area schools as special deputies, first presented at a Jan. 15 Central Noble school board meeting, drew widespread attention and the support of the Central Noble and East Noble school district leaders. Harp’s suggestion came in the wake of a mass murder at a school in Connecticut in December 2012. His proposal became controversial, as people debated school safety versus the dangers inherent in arming teachers. Ultimately, liability issues raised by the Noble County Board of Commissioners ended the effort.
number 150 on top for the Celebrate Kendallville 150 celebration parade on June 8.
Since then, most area schools have been working to add more resource officers — police officers whose time is spent in schools during the school year. — Bob Braley
School project approved ALBION — The Central Noble Community School Corp. Board of Education voted 5-0 Dec. 17 to approve an $8 million project to renovate and add onto Central Noble High School and Central Noble Middle School. It will create a single office for both schools and update the cafeteria, science labs and athletic areas. — Bob Braley
Man found after 19 years LAGRANGE — A boy who reportedly was abducted by his paternal grandparents from LaGrange County in 1994 was found alive and well in Browerville, Minn., in January. The boy originally known as Richard Wayne Landers Jr. was 24, married and living under the name Michael Jeff Iddings, police said. Police said Landers’ paternal grandparents, who lived in rural Wolcottville, had been concerned with how his custody case was going in LaGrange County in 1994. The grandparents and the boy, age 5 at the time, disappeared in July of that year. Landers’ father, Richard W. Landers Sr. of Kendallville, and mother, Lisa Harter of LaGrange, said they were happy to learn their son was well. — Matt Getts
Vote centers approved ALBION — Residents of Noble County will cast their ballots at vote centers in the May 2014 primary election. The Noble County Council voted in December to approve using vote centers, rather than precinct polling places as in the past. Under the plan, vote centers will be in Kendallville, Ligonier, Avilla, Albion, Rome City, Cromwell and Merriam.
It’s Our
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Library expanding LIGONIER — This year brought a major expansion and construction project for the Ligonier Public Library. The library, housed in a historic building funded by the Carnegie Foundation 1907, will be nearly doubled in size when the project is completed in late 2014 or early 2015. The library moved to a temporary location because of the construction. — Bob Buttgen
Fire department turns 125 ALBION — The Albion Fire Department celebrated its 125th “birthday” July 20. Dignitaries spoke at the event, at which a variety of firefighting vehicles were available to be seen by the public. Albion author Mark R. Hunter offered a book to raise funds for the department, “Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights: A Century or So With the Albion Fire Department.” It remains available for purchase in Albion. — Bob Braley
Obama sign causes stir KENDALLVILLE — Cornerstone Plaza became a focus of national attention in October, when its message sign carried an image portraying President Barack Obama with a Hitler-like mustache and calling for his impeachment. A political action committee of Lyndon LaRouche, who is seeking Obama’s impeachment, rented space on the electronic video sign. The Obama image was followed by the words “Impeach” and “Obama.” The sign received national television exposure and went “viral” with millions of views on the Internet. Cornerstone Plaza owner Roger Diehm said he received a lot of comments, and so did city officials. Mayor Suzanne Handshoe described the sign as inappropriate, disrespectful and giving the wrong impression about the community. The Obama image was removed two days after it first appeared.