FRIDAY December 20, 2013
Seeing Double
Tough Decision
Halfway Home
Edwards girls force for Knights
Avilla Town Council discusses sewer rates
Warrior girls now 5-0 in NECC
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Weather Cloudy with rain expected, high in the mid-40s. Low tonight 32. Rain Saturday. Page A10 Kendallville, Indiana
Serving Noble & LaGrange Counties
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Wolcottville man released in battery case BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com
GOOD MORNING
ANGOLA — A Wolcottville man who was arrested for allegedly battering an Angola woman has been released on his own recognizance after his alibi was confirmed by police. Christopher Allen Hamaker, 42, was released on Thursday afternoon after police checked an alibi he had given during a court hearing earlier in the day. “His alibi checked out,” said Angola Police Detective Tim Crooks. Hamaker is facing a felony battery charge after police found an Angola woman beaten and
Flood warning issued for area FROM STAFF REPORTS
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for portions of northern Indiana and northwest Ohio, including DeKalb and Noble counties. Heavy rainfall is expected from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning. Runoff from the rain and melting snow will increase the threat for flooding, said a report from the NWS. Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are possible with the highest amounts south of Fort Wayne. The heaviest rainfall is expected between Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Low-lying areas are at risk of flooding as well as streams and creeks. River levels could rise significantly, causing potential flooding in the coming week.
left unconscious a second time this month. The case remains under investigation. “They OR’d him until we can have another interview with (the victim),” Hamaker Crooks said. A no contact order with the victim has been left in place. Crooks said police are trying to determine exactly who would have battered the woman twice this month, both times leaving her unconscious. Hamaker has been released to Clay County authorities where
he has an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court for a March 1, 2010, trial for Class D felony theft and burglary. Hamaker had been arrested Wednesday on a warrant for Class C felony battery resulting in serious bodily injury after an incident that allegedly occurred on Dec. 12. He also was charged with a habitual offender enhancement. Hamaker was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail in the Steuben County Jail before his release late in the afternoon Thursday. In his initial hearing Thursday, when asked by Magistrate Randy Coffey if he had any questions about his bail, Hamaker tried to
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ELKHART (AP) — Gov. Mike Pence says Hoosiers everywhere are mourning the loss of a northern Indiana soldier who was among six U.S. service members killed after a helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan. Thirty-year-old Army Staff Sgt. Jesse Lee Williams of Elkhart was aboard a Black Hawk transport helicopter when it crashed Tuesday. He was on his third deployment overseas. Pence said today that “it is with deep sadness” that he learned of Williams’ death. He says, “Jesse Lee Williams is an American hero whose service and sacrifice will never be forgotten by the people of this state and nation.” It’s not clear yet when Williams’ funeral will be.
using the school district’s power announcement as soon as the problem was detected. A letter was sent home to parents explaining the situation. Rome City Principal Heather Green updated parents on the situation. Water was boiled and purified in the school kitchen, and kitchen staff members used throwaway towels. Students were encouraged to wash their hands thoroughly in restrooms. East Noble has no confirmed reports of students becoming ill from drinking the water, according to East Noble superintendent Ann Linson. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management was alerted, and Kendallville water
Target is grappling with a data security nightmare that threatens to drive off holiday shoppers during the company’s busiest time of year. The nation’s second largest discounter said Thursday that data connected to about 40 million credit and debit card accounts was stolen as part of a breach that began over the Thanksgiving weekend. The data theft marks the second largest credit card breach in the U.S. after retailer TJX Cos. announced in 2007 that at least 45.7 million credit and debit card users were exposed to credit card fraud. Target’s acknowledgement came a day after news reports surfaced that the discounter was investigating a breach. The chain said customers who made purchases by swiping their cards at terminals in its U.S. stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15 may have had their accounts exposed. The stolen data includes customer names, credit and debit card numbers, card expiration dates and the three-digit security codes located on the backs of cards. The data breach did not affect online purchases, the company said. The stolen information included Target store brand cards and major card brands such as Visa and MasterCard. The Minneapolis company, which has 1,797 stores in the U.S. and 124 in Canada, said it immediately told authorities and financial institutions once it became aware of the breach on Dec. 15. The company is teaming with a third-party forensics firm to investigate and prevent future breaches.
SEE FIXED, PAGE A10
SEE TARGET, PAGE A10
CHAD KLINE
All aboard Riders board a trolley in front of the Strand Theatre in Kendallville Thursday night for a free ride to see Kendallville’s neighborhood Christmas lights as part of the Save the Strand campaign. The trolley ran
from 6-9 p.m., with all available seats being taken by 6:45pm. A drawing was also held for an XBox gaming system with proceeds going to the fund.
School’s water problem fixed BY DENNIS NARTKER dnartker@kpcmedia.com
KENDALLVILLE — Changes to Rome City Elementary School’s water filtering system may have solved the school’s bacteria problem. School corporation officials have been dealing with the problem for about six weeks. Tests on Monday, Dec. 9, were negative for the first time for coliform bacteria, East Noble business manager Brian Leitch told the East Noble school board Wednesday night. “We are testing the water three times in five different locations in January (an Indiana Department of Environmental Management recommendation), and should know for sure from the results,”
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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 Classifieds.................................B6-B7 Life..................................................... A6 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion .............................................B4 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather..........................................A10 TV/Comics .......................................B5 Vol. 104 No. 349
SEE RELEASED, PAGE A10
Target suffers breach
Strand Lights the Night
Governor lauds soldier killed in helicopter crash
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get the charge dropped. “I’d actually move to have this dismissed. According to this (court paperwork) I have about 30 people who could place me at work in Kendallville,” Hamaker said. “From a preliminary phone call, I would believe that is correct,” Crooks said. The local case was initiated when Angola Police were called to the victim’s residence for a welfare check after she failed to report to work on Dec. 13, court documents said. When officers arrived at her home, she was found unconscious on the floor. The woman was taken to
Leitch said. Measures taken to prevent use of the water remained in place the past two weeks. Today is the last day of school before students go on a two-week holiday break. In early November, an unacceptable level of coliform bacteria was detected in the school’s water. The bacteria is an indicator of the sanitary quality of the water and not normally the cause of serious illness. Testing indicated it was at the low end of the acceptable level, Leitch said. School officials moved quickly to prevent use of the water. Drinking fountains were closed, and water stations were set up in the school with outside water brought in for the students. Families were notified by email
Several injured as roof of London theater falls LONDON (AP) — The roof or ceiling of a London theater partially collapsed Thursday night, showering a packed audience of about 700 with heaps of plaster, wood and dust, authorities and witnesses said. More than 80 people were injured, including at least seven seriously, and several trapped theater-goers had to be rescued. The collapse happened at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue at 8:15 p.m. (2015 GMT;
3:15 p.m.) during a performance of “The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime” at the height of the Christmas holiday season. “Complete chaos” erupted in the theater as the debris rained down, said Martin Bostock, who came with his family to see the show, which is based on the best-selling novel by Mark Haddon. “At first we thought it was part of the show,” he told Sky News. SEE THEATER, PAGE A10
AP
A woman walks, bandaged and wearing a blanket given by emergency services, following an incident at the Apollo Theatre in London Thursday evening.
Christmas Sunday Services
Traditional Christmas Eve Service
Sun., Dec. 22 9 AM & 10:30 AM
December 24 6 PM
Fairview Missionary Church Phone: 260-665-8402 •www.fairview-missionary.org
525 E 200 N, Angola, IN (1 mile east of Meijer and Menards)