WEDNESDAY October 30, 2013
Good Start
Guest Column
George, Hibbert lead opening win
Tough finish
Website could kill Affordable Care Act
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Westview spikers fall in regional
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Weather Cloudy, rain expected late, high in the low 60s. Tonight’s low 55. Page A6 Kendallville, Indiana
Serving Noble & LaGrange Counties
kpcnews.com
75 cents
Man takes car, leaves his own with note GOOD MORNING Times set for area trick-or-treating Trick-or-treat times have been set for communities in Noble and LaGrange counties: Thursday Kendallville 6-8 p.m.; Albion 5-7 p.m.; Rome City 5:30-7:30 p.m.; Ligonier 5-7 p.m.; Cromwell 5:30-7:30 p.m.; LaGrange 5-7 p.m.; Wolcottville 5-7 p.m.; Shipshewana 5-7 p.m.; and Topeka 7-9 p.m.; Saturday Stroh, 5-7 p.m. Local officials say young children should be accompanied by adults. During trick-or-treat times, motorists should use caution and look out for pedestrians. Homeowners are asked to turn on porch lights if they wish to treat children.
BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com
ROME CITY — A Fort Wayne man is in custody after a bizarre incident in which he allegedly stole a car, but left his own vehicle with a note either thanking God or claiming to be from God. The man was apprehended when his own dog led police to him, the Noble County Sheriff’s Department said. Roland Thomas Beemer, 41, of Fort Wayne was preliminarily charged with auto theft late Monday when he was booked into the Noble County Jail. Formal charges against Beemer were pending with the Noble County Prosecutor’s Office Tuesday morning.
Noble County deputies were called to a residence in the 2000 block of East Northport Road near Rome City at 5:36 p.m. Monday to investigate a stolen 2002 Chrysler Sebring. Left at the address was a 1987 Honda vehicle with a note saying, “Please Beemer forgive me, I will try and bring it home. Feel Free to use mine. Thank you God.” It was not clear Tuesday if the reference to God was intended as a signature or as a note of thanks. There was evidence of narcotics
or dangerous drugs in the Honda, police said. Upon determining the Honda belonged to Beemer, the Fort Wayne Police Department contacted his girlfriend. She reportedly said she had been in contact with him, and that he was acting “weird.” He would not tell her where he was, but said he had made a mess of things and had a dog with him. He also talked about aliens, the girlfriend reportedly said. At 9:52 p.m., police spoke to a monk residing at the Sylvan Springs complex who said Beemer had been there on foot about 30 minutes earlier. The monk gave him food and asked him to stay, but he left, heading in the direction
BY DENNIS NARTKER dnartker@kpcmedia.com
MY COMMUNITY NEWS Read the latest news submitted by KPC readers kpcnews.com
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..................................................... A5 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion .............................................B4 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A6 TV/Comics .......................................B6 Vol. 104 No. 299
This story was posted on kpcnews.com at 10:20 a.m. Tuesday.
Health woes go on
Spooky Trail given one more night by popular demand KENDALLVILLE — Spooks will return for one more night on the Kendallville Park and Recreation Department’s Spooky Trail, and the proceeds will go the Kendallville Fireworks Fund. “Due to the overwhelming success and the positive comments received, we decided to extend the Spooky Trail one more time,” said Dawn McGahen, the park department’s recreation director and Spooky Trail coordinator. The event last Friday and Saturday nights attracted 800-900 visitors, she added. The public is welcome to visit the trail Saturday from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Those attending should park in the Kendallville Outdoor Recreation Complex, 524 S. Allen Chapel Road, and ride wagons to the trail head. Admission costs $5 for the 40- to 45-minute walk. Parking is free, and so is the wagon shuttle service. About 100 volunteers will be in costume along the trail to provide a frightful experience. Unlike the first weekend, there will not be a Family Fun Festival at the recreation complex.
of Northport Road, the police said. Police were called at 10:37 p.m. with word Beemer and the dog were back on the property behind an old Cape Cod house near the townhouses on the former Sylvan Springs property. He spoke with the residents, but left the cottages, remaining on the property. Deputies found the dog, a boxer, at 10:55 p.m. They used the dog to lead them to Beemer, who allegedly was hiding on the property. He was placed in custody at 11:02 p.m. and booked into the Noble County Jail at 11:30 p.m.
BRIAN GLICK
Historic steam locomotive No. 765 made two round trips between Fort Wayne and Lafayette last weekend, hauling more than 1,400 passengers and retracing the route of the famous Wabash Cannonball passenger train. The rear
cars on the train came from the New York Central Railroad’s 20th Century Limited, which operated through DeKalb County as one of the nation’s premier passenger trains.
Hundreds ride historic train FORT WAYNE (AP) — Hundreds of people from around the country have experienced what country singer Roy Acuff called “the jingle, the rumble and the roar” of a Wabash Cannonball. More than 700 people turned out over the weekend to ride
the train built in 1944 from Fort Wayne to West Lafayette. The locomotive is one of only a handful in the United States still in working condition. It was restored by the Fort Wayne Historical Railroad Museum. The train carried 22 tons of coal and 2,200 gallons of water for the
round trip to West Lafayette. Museum communication manager Kelley Lynch says the weekend trip marked the first passenger train to depart Fort Wayne in 20 years. The trip retraced the route of the famous Wabash Cannonball passenger train.
Auction for Noble House Friday FROM STAFF REPORTS
KENDALLVILLE — Travel and adventure, along with the best of local food, culture and services will go on the auction block Friday for the annual benefit auction and dinner for Noble House Ministries Inc. The annual event, which raises funds for the group’s homeless shelters in Albion, will be held Friday evening at the Kendallville Event Center. The function will feature catering by Goeglein’s and entertainment by the Tiny Giants band, as well as a live auction, silent auction and bake sale. Activities begin at 5 p.m. with an hour of browsing and social time. Dinner will be served at 6
p.m., and the auction begins at 7 p.m. One of the auction’s premier packages is a two-night stay at a hotel on beautiful Drummond Island in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Hosts Dr. Donza and Catherine Worden will provide a one-hour aerial tour of the island and surrounding area, as well as a post-flight glass of wine. The winning bidder can book the vacation on the date of his or her choice to best take advantage of the island’s many leisure opportunities, including golf, ATV exploration, kayaking, birding, hiking, biking and fishing. Other travel-related auction items include an overnight stay
at the Painted Turtle Inn bed and breakfast in St. Joseph, Mich.; $250 worth of travel tickets good at any Best Western in the country; and one night in a deluxe king room at the Best Western in Kendallville. A framed Indiana University jersey signed by Cody Zeller, 2011’s Mr. Basketball and a current NBA player, will be auctioned, and it comes with a certificate of authenticity. An original pottery bowl created by local artist Tom Sherbondy is expected to draw many bids. Entertainment auction items include a tea party for 12 at the SEE AUCTION, PAGE A6
WASHINGTON (AP) — Move over, website woes. Lawmakers confronted the Obama administration Tuesday with a difficult new health care problem — a wave of cancellation notices hitting individuals and small business who buy their own insurance. At the same time, the federal official closest to the website apologized for its dysfunction in new sign-ups and asserted things are getting better by the day. Medicare chief Marilyn Tavenner said it’s not the administration but insurers who are responsible for cancellation letters now reaching many of the estimated 14 million people who buy individual policies. And, officials said, people who get cancellation notices will be able to find better replacement plans, in some cases for less. The Associated Press, citing the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, reported in May that many carriers would opt to cancel policies this fall and issue new ones. Administratively that was seen as easier than changing existing plans to comply with the new law, which mandates coverage of more services and provides better financial protection against catastrophic illnesses. While the administration had ample warning of the cancellations, they could become another public relations debacle for President Barack Obama’s signature legislation. This problem goes to the credibility of one of the president’s earliest promises about the health care overhaul: You can keep your plan if you like it. In the spring, state insurance commissioners started giving insurers the option of canceling existing individual plans for 2014, because the coverage required under Obama’s law is significantly more robust. Some states directed insurers to issue cancellations. Large employer plans that cover most workers and their families are unlikely to be affected. The cancellation notices are SEE HEALTH, PAGE A6
Court of Appeals says Bering trial can go on BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com
ALBION — The case of a former executive director of Noble House Ministries will go to trial, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled. The defense attorney for Dana Linette Bering, 41, of Churubusco tried to have her case dismissed, claiming it had taken too long to prosecute her under Noble County rules. He forwarded the case to the Court of Appeals for a ruling earlier this year. The appeals court ruling said the case could proceed, according to Noble Circuit Court records.
In its ruling, the appeals court said while the county rule is designed to insure a speedy trial, it is not to be used as a technical means to avoid trial. It also ruled that Bering’s motions in the case, such as her request to have Bering Circuit Judge G. David Laur recuse himself in the case, led to the delays, so the trial could proceed. In a teleconference Oct. 21, Bering’s trial was set for Feb. 4-6, 2014, in Noble Circuit Court with
Special Judge James Heuer of Whitley Circuit Court officiating. A final pretrial conference in the case was set for Jan. 6, 2014. Bering is charged with five counts of theft and one of fraud, all Class D felonies, for offenses she allegedly committed against Noble House Ministries Inc. while she was its executive director from July 2009 to September 2010. Bering allegedly used a debit card issued to Noble House Ministries to purchase items such as a television set and racing suit, as well as to pay personal bills for her and her husband. The debit card transactions
allegedly were made without the approval or knowledge of the Noble House Ministries Board of Directors between Sept. 2, 2009, and Jan. 11, 2010. Bering is also accused of unlawfully receiving over $25,000 during her tenure as executive director, and of using a Noble House Ministries debit card to purchase $179 worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart, including 12 sets of curtains and three curtain rods. A Class D felony carries a sentencing range of six months to three years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.