THURSDAY October 3, 2013
Early Exit
Inside Comment
Reds falter in postseason again
Moving On
Promoting downtown retail was team effort
Page B1
EN, Lakers win in tennis sectional
Page A5
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Weather Cloudy, rain expected, high 78. Low tonight 62. Chance of rain Friday. Page A6 Kendallville, Indiana
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Stutzman won’t accept pay in shutdown GOOD MORNING
Apple Festival Time The 28th annual Apple Festival of Kendallville takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Noble County Fairgrounds. Our 16-page guide to enjoying the festival appears inside today’s edition.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 80 federal lawmakers have said “no” when it comes to getting paid during the government shutdown — including U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Howe. A report in The Washington Post said through early Wednesday afternoon, 42 Republicans and 44 Democrats said they plan to donate their pay or refuse compensation earned during the impasse. Stutzman announced his decision on his Facebook page Tuesday evening. The statement said, “Today, I asked Congress’ chief administrative officer to withhold my pay during this shutdown. House Republicans have passed four plans to fully fund the federal government, but the Senate has rejected each of
them. It’s time for (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid and President Obama to come to the table.” The Post report said members of Congress are paid Stutzman $174,000 annually, and this money is constitutionally mandated to be paid, so it is not affected by the shutdown. Also Wednesday, Stutzman introduced the GARDS Act to ensure that National Guard is paid during the government shutdown. His “Guard Appropriation Restoration During Shutdown Act” fully funds National Guard operations during the government
shutdown and amends the Pay Our Military Act to ensure members of the National Guard, military technicians, and critical personnel remain paid during the government shutdown. “The men and women who serve in our nation’s National Guard and their families should not be victims of President Obama and Senate Democrats’ shutdown. Yet that is what is happening as Harry Reid has rejected four House-passed bills to keep the government open and our National Guard paid,” Stutzman said in a news release. “I’ve introduced legislation to fully fund operations and pay for the National Guard during this shutdown,” Stutzman said. “… I am convinced that decisive
Words, but no action
Talks aim to keep Amtrak line running INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A spokesman for Indiana’s transportation agency says the state is making progress negotiating a short-term agreement with Amtrak to keep a passenger line between Indianapolis and Chicago running until a comprehensive deal is reached. The Hoosier State line’s $3.1 million in annual federal funding ended Tuesday as part of legislation Congress passed in 2008. The four-days-a-week line will grind to a halt if Indiana and Amtrak and the communities it serves can’t reach a funding agreement by Oct. 15.
Turkey Run bridge open after repairs MARSHALL (AP) — A 200-foot-long suspension bridge at western Indiana’s Turkey Run State Park is set to reopen to the public Friday following repairs that fixed damage inflicted by spring flooding. Crews spent about two months replacing beams, suspension cable and other parts of the 95-year-old bridge, including its concrete support towers. The bridge was built in 1918, two years after Turkey Run became a state park. It spans Sugar Creek and links the park’s developed area with the more remote northern section.
PHOTO GALLERY Eastside at Lakeland kpcnews.com
action must be taken at the federal level to take care of these men and women who have answered the call of duty and selflessly serve our country and state. If Senate Democrats are unwilling to negotiate on comprehensive legislation, let’s start with areas of agreement — let’s start by standing up for our National Guard.” Stutzman said 1,000 Indiana National Guard employees were furloughed Tuesday. He said while the Senate has passed and President Obama has signed the House-passed Pay Our Military Act, to pay the salaries and allowances of members of the Armed Forces, separate legislation is required to ensure pay and operations for the National Guard.
Shutdown goes on as White House meeting brings no compromise
PATRICK REDMOND
Fun at Corn School A youngster has a wild horse under control as he enjoys a spin on the merry-go-round at the Corn
School festival in LaGrange Wednesday evening. The festival runs through Saturday.
Voucher use increases again BY KATHRYN BASSETT kbassett@kpcmedia.com
The number of students applying to attend northeast Indiana private schools with School Choice Scholarships continues to grow each year, school administrators report. This week the Indiana Department of Education said the private school voucher plan received more than 20,000 applications for 2013-14. The program has grown from 3,900 when it first started in 2011 to more than 9,300 last year. School Choice Scholarships are awarded based on family income. Local private schools report similar patterns in the rising numbers of voucher students. “We’ve seen an increase in the number of voucher students each year,” said Tim Walz, principal
of St. John Lutheran School in Kendallville. This year, 51 of the school’s 166 students are enrolled through the voucher program. Last year, St. John had 27 voucher students, compared to 10 voucher students reported by the DOE in 2011. This year, Lakewood Park Christian School in rural Auburn has 143 voucher students, superintendent Ed Yoder reported. Lakewood had 62 voucher students at this time last year. In 2011, Lakewood had 26 voucher students. The Howe School has not seen an increase in its number of students attending through the voucher program. Three students at the school are receiving vouchers this year, the school reported. This year’s voucher enrollment
was not available for St. Joseph’s School in Garrett and St. Mary School in Avilla. The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Catholic Schools Office has asked principals not to share student data that might compromise the confidentiality of families and children, said Mark Myers, secretariat for the Office of Catholic Education Superintendent of Schools. Myers said in some cases, public disclosure of numbers could lead to speculation about the identification of children who have been awarded School Choice Scholarships. Statewide, the number of vouchers awarded to students attending Indiana Catholic schools has grown 3,970 this year, up from 766 in 2011-12 and 1,767 in 2012-13, Myers said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama brought congressional leaders to the White House on Wednesday for the first time since a partial government shutdown began, but there was no sign of progress toward ending an impasse that has idled 800,000 federal workers and curbed services around the country. Obama “refuses to negotiate,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio., told reporters after private talks that lasted more than an hour. “All we’re asking for here is a discussion and fairness for the American people under Obamacare.” But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said moments later, “We’re locked in tight on Obamacare” and neither the president nor Democrats will accept changes in the nation’s 3-year-old health care law as the price for spending legislation needed to end the two-day partial shutdown. With the nation’s ability to borrow money soon to lapse, Republicans and Democrats alike said the shutdown could last for two weeks or more, and soon oblige a divided government to grapple with both economy-threatening issues at the same time. The White House said in a statement after the meeting that Obama had made it clear “he is not going to negotiate over the need for Congress to act to reopen the government or to raise the debt SEE TALK, PAGE A6
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Index
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Classifieds.................................B7-B8 Life..................................................... A3 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion ............................................. A5 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A6 TV/Comics .......................................B6 Vol. 104 No. 272
Funds raised for upgrades to Floral Hall BY DENNIS NARTKER dnartker@kpcmedia.com
KENDALLVILLE — One of the oldest buildings in the Noble County Fairgrounds is undergoing interior upgrades and will get a new roof, thanks to the efforts of the Noble County Extension Homemakers, donations from individuals and businesses and foundation grants. More than $32,000 has been raised for a new roof on Floral Hall, built in 1883 as one of the first buildings at the fairgrounds. Julie A. Leighty, Purdue Extension Service secretary, announced the effort’s success Monday. “A very big thanks goes out to all that donated time, money and energy to this project,” Leighty said in a news release. More than $10,000 was raised from private donations. When combined with a $10,000 matching grant from the Olive
B. Cole Foundation, a $10,000 matching grant from the Dekko Foundation and a $2,000 grant from the Noble County Community Foundation, the goal of $32,000 was achieved, and the process of replacing the leaking roof can begin next year. After Floral Hall fell into disrepair in 2009, the Noble County Extension Homemakers began to fund and make repairs and upgrades, mostly to the building’s interior, according to Leighty. They replaced its old, wooden lattice with maintenance-free white lattice and the warped, dark paneling with an off-white pegboard; painted interior surfaces; cleaned out and removed unwanted items and repaired light fixtures and the four, large entrance doors. The Noble County Fair Board supplied paint and painters to repaint the building’s exterior. SEE FUNDS, PAGE A6
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
The Dekko Foundation awarded Noble County Extension Homemakers a $10,000 matching grant to help pay for a new roof on the historic Floral Hall in the Noble County Fairgrounds. From left are Janeen Longfellow, Noble County Extension Office educator; Margaret Menges, Noble County Extension Homemakers president; and Rose Craig, Floral Hall building superintendent.