FRIDAY December 13, 2013
All-State Picks Four Knights honored by coaches
Warming Gifts
Falling Short
Sorority makes blankets for Riley kids
NorthWood tops Warriors
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Weather Partly sunny, high 30. Snow possible tonight, low 22. Snow Saturday. Page A10 Serving Noble & LaGrange Counties
Kendallville, Indiana
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Library board hears financing option GOOD MORNING Stutzman hosting listening session on Obamacare FORT WAYNE — U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman will hold what he describes as an “Obamacare listening session and open house” Monday from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Stutzman said he encourages Hoosiers impacted by the Affordable Care Act to share their stories and suggestions. The event will take place at his office in the E. Ross Adair Federal Building, 1300 S. Harrison St., Suite 3105, in downtown Fort Wayne.
Costs of renovation at Albion site discussed BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com
ALBION — The Noble County Public Library Board of Trustees heard Thursday a report on ways to finance a possible renovation project. The library board is considering a project to renovate the central library in Albion to bring it more in line with modern library uses, such as flexible space that is more usable for the community, said
library director Sandy Petrie. The project also would include needed work on the library roof and replacing carpet, Petrie said. Todd Samuelson of certified public accountants H.J. Umbaugh & Associates presented information on how bonds for such a project could be structured in ways to keep property taxes from being raised. An existing bond issue will come off the tax rolls in 2016, Samuelson said. The library could structure new bonds for new work so taxes would remain even with the current level when that happens. Petrie said the library board
is a year and a half away from determining what the proposed project would be and how much it would cost. The presentation based the costs on bonds for $1.5 million and $1.9 million. The year 2014 will be when the board will determine what it proposes to do and what fits the situation and budget, Petrie said. “We just have to see where we fit in,” said trustee James Shrock. The board tabled a proposal to hire Umbaugh and bond attorney firm Ice Miller to work on the project. Shrock and board
Dose of winter coming
Holiday celebration set for Saturday at LaGrange courthouse LAGRANGE — After an absence of nearly 30 years, Christmas returns to the LaGrange County Courthouse this Saturday as Focus LaGrange, a group of downtown merchants and business owners group, celebrates Christmas around the Courthouse. The celebration starts at 10 a.m. and lasts until 4 p.m. The event will feature Christmas caroling, carriage rides and food and refreshments. Focus LaGrange will be setting up a special, 7-foot-tall Christmas tree inside the courthouse gazebo with ornaments highlighting local businesses. Toys and stuffed animals will be collected to be donated to the Clothes and Food Basket of LaGrange County to help the local charity with its annual Christmas drive. Lakeland High School arts students have created giant Christmas cards that will be placed around the courthouse lawn. Santa Claus is scheduled to arrive at 11 a.m.
Think safety first when going on ice INDIANAPOLIS — As ice begins to form on many waterways, Indiana Conservation Officers with the Department of Natural Resources are calling on citizens to put safety first. READ MORE ON PAGE A3
LETTERS TO SANTA Tell Santa your Christmas wishes! kpcnews.com 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-B7 Life..................................................... A8 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion .............................................B4 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather..........................................A10 TV/Comics .......................................B5 Vol. 104 No. 342
president Sandy Lamp said it was too soon to hire someone. Any proposal to issue bonds would have to be approved by the Noble County Council, Samuelson said. Also Thursday, the board: • approved a compensation plan for employees for 2014 that includes a 2-percent raise. • re-elected the same board officers as last year. Lamp will continue as president, Bev Huntsman as vice president, Reta Sherwin as secretary and Margaret Ott as treasurer.
BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com
CHAD KLINE
Keeping the lights on Judy Guthrie, right, of Champs and Tramps Dog Grooming presented a check to Tom Hullinger of the Save the Strand committee following a
fundraiser at the business. Guthrie donated $5 from every grooming and nail trim to go toward the “Strand Theatre: Keep the Lights On“ campaign.
Man gets six years for meth BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com
ALBION — A Wolcottville man was sentenced Thursday in Noble Circuit Court to serve 6 1/2 years in prison, but he was given six months of credit for completing his GED. Vernie M. Elkins, 23, was sentenced to six years in prison for manufacturing methamphetamine, a Class B felony, and an additional 180 days for violating his probation terms by committing
the new offense. Circuit Judge G. David Laur sentenced Elkins according to the terms of a plea agreement. He gave Elkins 81 days’ credit for Elkins time already served and 182 days’ credit for completing his GED while he was in jail awaiting his sentencing.
Court records indicate Elkins made meth July 12 in the 300 block of South Main Street, Wolcottville. He pleaded guilty Nov. 14. Elkins’ violated the rules of probation for his Sept. 8, 2011, conviction on charges of possession of methamphetamine, a Class D felony; operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in the body, a Class C misdemeanor; and possession of precursors with intent to manufacture meth, a Class D felony.
Northeast Indiana’s first wintry blast of 2013 could be on its way, with the possibility of up to a half-foot of snow, the National Weather Service Northern Indiana is predicting. On the heels of dangerously cold wind chills Thursday, snow is possible tonight and Saturday, with the possibility of significant accumulations. A weather system moving through the Ohio Valley from California is expected to spawn conditions that could bring heavy snow, NWS said. “Current computer model solutions indicate a potent upper air disturbance over southern California will eject out of the southern Rockies tonight and then lift northeast through the Ohio Valley on Saturday,” the advisory said. Snow could develop Friday night, continuing through Saturday afternoon. “Current projections would indicate a potential for 4 to 6 inches of snow along and south of a Rochester to Toledo (Ohio) line. However small fluctuations in the track and intensity of this system could significantly alter potential snow accumulations,” the advisory said.
House votes for budget deal WASHINGTON (AP) — Battle-fatigued and suddenly bipartisan, the House voted Thursday night to ease acrossthe-board federal spending cuts and prevent future government shutdowns, acting after Speaker John Boehner unleashed a stinging attack on tea party-aligned conservative groups campaigning for the measure’s defeat. The legislation, backed by the White House, cleared on a vote of 332-94, with lopsided majorities of Republicans and Democrats alike voting in favor. Final passage is expected next week in the Senate. The events in the House gave a light coating of bipartisan cooperation to the end of a bruising year of divided government —
memorable for a partial government shutdown, flirtation with an unprecedented Treasury default and gridlock on immigration, gun control and other items on President Barack Obama’s second-term agenda. In the end, the debate in the House was tame by comparison with Boehner’s criticism of Republican-favoring outside groups that at times have been more of an obstacle to him than Democrats. “I think they’re misleading their followers,” the Republican speaker said of the groups, whom he pointedly also blamed for last fall’s politically damaging partial government shutdown. “I think they’re pushing our members in places where they don’t want to be. And frankly,
I just think that they’ve lost all credibility” by opposing legislation before the details are known.” He mentioned no organizations by name, although it appeared he was referring to Heritage Action and Club for Growth, both of which have sought to push the House further to the right than the Republican leadership has been willing to go. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., a chief GOP architect of the deal, made the conservatives’ case for support. The measure “reduces the deficit by $23 billion. It does not raise taxes and it cuts spending in a smarter way,” said the Budget Committee’s chairman, whose handiwork could well be challenged in the 2016 SEE BUDGET, PAGE A10
AP
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio vehemently rebukes conservative groups who oppose the pending bipartisan budget compromise Thursday during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Governor to speak to LaGrange chamber LAGRANGE — Gov. Mike Pence will be the featured speaker at the LaGrange County Chamber of Commerce annual meeting and fifth annual Members Showcase on Jan. 9. The event is sponsored by Parkview LaGrange Hospital and will be held at the Shipshewana Event Center. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. for the Members Showcase, and the luncheon begins at noon.
“We are very excited to have Gov. Pence as our 2014 annual meeting speaker,” said Beth Sherman, executive director of the LaGrange County Chamber of Commerce. “I recently heard of an innovative agricultural program that the governor has introduced as well as his plan to promote policies that will encourage investment and jobs, and I hope he speaks on both subjects.”
The event will be held in the Cabriolet, Speedster and Phaeton rooms of the Shipshewana Event Center. Tickets for the luncheon cost $15 for chamber members and $20 for nonmembers. Tables of eight can be reserved. Showcase table reservations are being accepted and may be made only by chamber members for $50. Reservations can be made
through Jan. 6 by calling the chamber office at 463-2443 or sending email to info@lagrangechamber.org. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Jan. 2. on a first come, first served basis. The meeting will include he 2013 Chamber year in review, remarks by outgoing president Rob Myers, awards and the address by Pence.