WEDNESDAY December 4, 2013
Knights Win
Sweat Equity
East Noble girls defeat Lakeland
Orange Crush
Multi-talented man shows value of hard work
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No. 4 Syracuse frustrates Indiana
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Weather Cloudy with rain expected, high in the mid-50s. Tonight’s low 40. Page A6 Serving Noble & LaGrange Counties
Kendallville, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Humane Society holiday program at library Saturday ALBION — The Humane Society of Noble County will visit the Noble County Public Library-Central for a holiday meet and greet with adoptable shelter animals Saturday. Participants will create fleece blankets, handmade cat toys and other items to donate to the shelter from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. After that will come a story time and a chance to get a holiday picture taken with the animals from 12:30-2 p.m.
kpcnews.com
Man with guns caught at Eastside BY JEFF JONES jjones@kpcmedia.com
BUTLER — A Butler man who reportedly intended to scare his daughter as he arrived to pick her up at school is in custody after Eastside Junior-Senior High School was placed on lockdown Tuesday afternoon. Chad J. Czaja, 34, of the 200 block of Park Lane, was arrested along East Green Street, directly in front of the high school. At 3:19 p.m., police received a report of a man dressed in camouflage clothing and
possessing a rifle in a red Dodge Durango near the high school. Butler Police responded immediately and found Czaja inside the vehicle on Green Street. Police gave Czaja several verbal commands to exit the vehicle, but Czaja did not obey those commands, according to a news release. Czaja finally exited the vehicle, but again did not comply with police commands until officers were able to apprehend him at gunpoint, Butler Police Chief Jim Nichols said. Police recovered one
rifle and one loaded handgun from the vehicle. “We do not believe at this time that there was any criminal intent with the weapons. Just a series of very, very bad choices,” Nichols said after the incident. Czaja has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, criminal recklessness and leaving the scene of an accident. Additional charges are possible, Nichols said. Nichols confirmed Czaja was wearing camouflage clothing, including a face mask, when
Stratton-Porter site plans activities ROME CITY — The Gene Stratton-Porter state historic site will be open Saturday, Dec. 7, from 1-7 p.m. for visitors to enjoy “A Dream of Beauty” Holiday Walk. READ MORE ON PAGE A2
police apprehended him. “A witness saw Czaja go over a curb in the east parking lot, strike a concrete guard pole and stop his vehicle,” Nichols said. The witness told police Czaja exited the Durango and put on a camouflage jacket, face mask and sunglasses. The witness reported seeing a rifle in the vehicle’s front seat. After donning the apparel, Czaja got back into his vehicle, left the parking lot and drove west on Green Street in front of SEE EASTSIDE, PAGE A6
Plastic gun ban debated
Council passes salary ordinance KENDALLVILLE — An ordinance setting salaries for elected officials in 2014 passed by a unanimous vote of the Kendallville City Council Tuesday night. Mayor Suzanne Handshoe and Clerk-Treasurer Sheryl Hanes will receive 2.5 percent raises, matching the pay increases approved earlier for appointed employees. Handshoe’s new salary will be $51,807, and Hanes’ will be paid $48,652. Salaries for City Council and Board of Public Works members will remain unchanged at $4,000. The council also voted for the annual line of credit renewal for the Kendallville Local Development Corp.’s site development fund. An ordinance to borrow $350,000 at 1.18 percent interest from Campbell & Fetter Bank passed on the first of two required readings. One citizen spoke during the council’s brief meeting at City Hall. He thanked city leaders for their efforts in trying to save the Strand Theater in downtown Kendallville.
75 cents
CHAD KLINE
East Noble Theatre will present “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” beginning Thursday at 7 p.m. in Cole Auditorium and
continuing Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $12 or $10 for students and senior citizens.
‘Joseph’ begins EN Theatre’s season of family productions BY DENNIS NARTKER dnartker@kpcmedia.com
KENDALLVILLE — “It’s a great holiday show, and remains one of the most popular musicals done by high schools and community theaters,” East Noble Theatre director Craig Munk says about the Broadway musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” That’s one reason why Munk selected “Joseph” to open the 2013-2014 East Noble Theatre season, which he’s calling “A Season for the Family.” “Joseph” opens Thursday at 7 p.m. in Cole Auditorium at East Noble High School and continues Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets cost $12 or $10 for students and senior citizens. The auditorium box office is open today through Friday from 4-6 p.m. Tickets may be reserved by calling the box office at 347-7167. The show appeals to many age groups. “It’s a good seller, because people know the title,” said Munk. “I think this community wants to come to the theater and be truly entertained. This show does exactly that.” It features lots of dancing, singing and high energy, and a children’s choir. Munk also likes the show’s message of family and honesty. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is an operetta based on the coat of
Get An Early Look A VIDEO PREVIEW of the East Noble Theatre production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” including interviews with director Craig Munk and lead actors Jonathon Kane and Josh Ogle, is online at kpcnews.com. Scan the QR code to watch it on your tablet or smartphone.
many colors story of Joseph from the Bible’s book of Genesis. Tim SEE EN THEATRE, PAGE A6
WASHINGTON (AP) — With 3-D printers increasingly able to produce plastic weapons, the House voted Tuesday to renew a 25-year-old prohibition against firearms that can evade metal detectors and X-ray machines. On a voice vote, the House passed a bill to renew the Undetectable Firearms Act for another decade. The Senate could vote on the bill next Monday when it returns from a two-week Thanksgiving recess. The law is due to expire the following day. Some Senate Democrats have mounted an attempt to amend the law to require plastic guns to have at least one metal piece for making it fire. But with the National Rifle Association opposed to the measure, the House bill is likely to pass the Senate unchanged, particularly going into an election year when many lawmakers would prefer to avoid a new fight over gun legislation. Rep. Robert Scott, a Virginia Democrat, said passage of the bill Tuesday “should not be interpreted that the statue should not be updated for the duration” of the new 10-year ban. Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat who has championed gun reform laws this year, has pledged to introduce legislation to close what he and others describe as a dangerous loophole. Just prior to Tuesday’s vote, the NRA issued a statement saying it opposes any expansion of the law, including applying it “to magazines, gun parts, or the development of new technologies.” Another group, the conservative Gun Owners of America, opposed renewing the law at all, saying it wouldn’t stop criminals intent on printing weapons.
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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........................................B8 Life.....................................................B6 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion .............................................B4 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A6 TV/Comics .......................................B7 Vol. 104 No. 333
Area economy better, but still needs work BY BARRY ROCHFORD brochford@kpcmedia.com
Efforts to bolster the northeast Indiana economy are being backed up by data that suggest the region is making strides compared to other parts of the country. But the hard work is far from over. The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership held a “State of the Region” event Tuesday at The Summit in Fort Wayne, where
representatives of the partnership and the Community Research Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne discussed the findings of two reports that track a decade’s worth of economic data. One report, which the partnership has taken to calling a “dashboard,” compares the 10-county region to 14 roughly similar areas in the Midwest,
South and Great Plains and gauges how it’s faring compared to them. The other report focused solely on northeast Indiana’s largest industry sector: manufacturing. Coincidentally, in the days leading up to the event, data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis showed that per-capita personal income in northeast Indiana rose 5 percent in 2012, which was faster than
the nation’s 3.4-percent growth rate. That’s significant because per-capita income has been singled out as an economic bellwether for the region by those charged to aid in its development. “That’s what the whole shebang is about,” said Katy Silliman, vice president of regional initiatives at the partnership, at the “State of the Region” event. SEE ECONOMY, PAGE A6
Detroit gets shot to start fresh DETROIT (AP) — A judge ruled Tuesday that Detroit is eligible to shed billions of dollars of its long-running debt, including the pensions of thousands of workers and retirees, in a much-anticipated decision that shifts the city’s epic bankruptcy case into a new and delicate phase. Judge Steven Rhodes, who wondered aloud why the bankruptcy had not happened years ago, said pensions can be cut just like any contract because the Michigan Consti-
tution does not offer bulletproof protection for employee benefits. But he signaled a desire for a measured approach and warned city officials that they must be prepared to defend any deep reductions. “This once proud and prosperous city can’t pay its debts. It’s insolvent,” Rhodes said in announcing that Detroit was formally eligible for the largest public bankruptcy in U.S. history. “At the same time, it also has an opportu-
nity for a fresh start.” The ruling came more than four months after Detroit filed for Chapter 9 protection. Rhodes agreed with unions and pension funds that the city’s emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, did not negotiate in good faith in the weeks ahead of the July filing, a key condition under federal law. But he said the number of creditors — more than 100,000 — and a wide array of competing SEE DETROIT, PAGE A6
AP
Sharon Levine, attorney representing the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees addresses the media outside federal court in Detroit Tuesday after a judge ruled on the city’s bankruptcy filing.