WEDNESDAY October 9, 2013
Finals Up Next
C-h-a-m-p-i-o-n-s
EN boys win in tennis regional
East Noble spellers take conference crown
Page B1
All Even Tigers rally to tie series at 2-2
Page A2
Page B1
Weather Sunny, high of 70. Tonight’s low 44. Cloudy but warmer Thursday, high 73. Page A6 Kendallville, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Apple Festival videos can be seen online KENDALLVILLE — Two videos related to this past weekend’s Apple Festival of Kendallville are online at kpcnews.com. One video features highlights from the festival as well as interviews with those making two popular food items — apple fritters and haystack potatoes — and an interview with East Noble Theatre Director Craig Munk about the 25th anniversary of the Raise A Ruckus musical revue. Scan the QR code to watch this video on your tablet or smartphone. The second video includes an interview with Terrin Thomas of Auburn. Thomas talks about attending the festival as a little girl and how it felt to participate in Raise A Ruckus as Miss Indiana.
Serving Noble & LaGrange Counties
Play KPC
WILD
bing
COVERALL
GRAND PRIZE
500
$
NUMBERS N U BE BERS ERS RS S PUBLISHED PU PUB PUBL U LISH D DAILY INSIDE
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.................................B7-B8 Life..................................................... A5 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion .............................................B4 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A6 TV/Comics .......................................B6 Vol. 104 No. 278
75 cents
Council supports abatement BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com
ALBION — The Noble County Council Monday approved a resolution supporting a tax abatement that would bring jobs to Wawaka. B & J Specialty sought a five-year abatement on personal property taxes for equipment at its Albion facility, but was granted an eight-year abatement by the council instead. B & J said the investment of approximately $1 million in new equipment would add five to eight jobs to its Wawaka plant. It sought
a five-year phase-in of property taxes on the equipment. The council used a new matrix for calculating how long an abatement should last. The matrix, created by the Noble County Ecomomic Development Corp., was approved Sept. 3 for use by the council. The matrix includes a cost-benefit analysis for calculating how long an abatement should run. Monday was the first time it was used by the County Council. Only the resolution for the abatement could be approved Monday, because paperwork
didn’t include the exact cost of the new equipment, said Noble County Auditor Jackie Knafel. The council will vote on the actual abatement in November. The council approved the resolution 5-1, with Councilman Wayne Clouse opposed. Also Monday, the council: • approved 6-0 the county’s proposed $21 million budget. The proposal includes $9.6 million for the county’s general fund, $3.4 million for highways, $645,000 for local roads and streets and $234,375 for the new Community Corrections program.
Also in the budget are $603,985 for adult probation, $162,800 for work crews for drainage, $584,490 for statewide E-911 and $118,078 for reassessment. The proposed budget includes $931,134 in cuts made by the council from amounts requested by county officers. The budget still must be approved by the state before it is official. • approved 6-0 an additional appropriation to upgrade Noble County Communications radio equipment. SEE COUNCIL, PAGE A6
Fugitive caught Man had been sleeping behind city hall BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com
KENDALLVILLE — A fugitive sought by the Kendallville Police Department said he had been sleeping behind the Kendallville City Hall, according to the bail-bondsman who arrested the man. James Michael Miller, 39, of Kendallville was arrested without incident in Kendallville by bail-bondsman Les Alligood Friday, Alligood said. Miller was booked into the Noble County Jail on a warrant for allegedly operating a vehicle after a lifetime suspension, a felony offense, according to jail records. The fugitive said he had been sleeping in the alley behind the police station at night, Alligood said. No independent confirmation of the statement was available.
Cox chosen to serve rest of Pond’s term in Indiana House FORT WAYNE — Fort Wayne attorney Casey Cox won election to fill the remainder of the late state Rep. Phyllis Pond’s term in the Indiana House of Representatives during a Republican caucus Tuesday evening. Rep. Pond died Sept. 22 at age 82. She had served 35 years in the Indiana House of Representatives as a Republican from New Haven. During part of her term, she represented portions of southern DeKalb County. Cox will complete Pond’s term in office that runs through late 2014. In Tuesday’s caucus, he received 37 of the 59 votes from Republican precinct leaders in the 85th District to win on the first ballot over six rival candidates, according to our news partner, WANE-TV.
kpcnews.com
Bond in Miller’s case had been revoked after he failed to appear for a court hearing, the jail staff said. Noble Circuit Judge G. David Laur ordered Monday that Miller be held without bond. Miller’s case drew media Miller attention after the handler of a K-9 officer was forced to shoot a dog belonging to Miller’s son Sept. 28. The family dog attacked the K-9 officer and his partner during a search of the family residence in an effort to apprehend Miller. He had fled the residence in the 1000 block of Bellevue Drive at the time.
County to pay more for health insurance BOB BUTTGEN
The doctor is in Retired Ligonier physician Dr. Robert Stone admires a scarecrow done in his likeness as part of a contest in downtown Ligonier. The artwork was placed in front of his former office by Amy Jo Wechter of Ligonier, a friend of Stone, as part of a contest hosted by the Future Ligonier Alliance. Other scarecrows are popping up along Cavin Street, and more are welcome. A fall festival in downtown Ligonier is planned for Friday, Oct. 18, from 4-8 p.m.
BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com
ALBION — The cost of health insurance is going up for Noble County government. The Noble County Board of Commissioners voted Monday to approve a plan that will see a 17-percent increase to the fixed cost of the county’s health insurance plan, but will give
employees only a slight increase in their premiums. The largest increase will be for those on the county’s Health Savings Account plan, Noble County Auditor Jackie Knafel said. Those employees will pay $3.50 more per pay period. The cost of the dental insurance plan will increase by 5 percent, SEE COUNTY, PAGE A6
More of the same, shutdown still in place WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner offered hints of possible compromise but also traded heated rhetoric Tuesday, a frustratingly inconclusive combination that left the eight-day partial government shutdown firmly in place and the threat of an unprecedented national default drawing closer. “There’s a crack there,” Boehner said of the impasse near the end of a day of maneuvering at the White House and the Capitol. Yet the Ohio Republican added that it was not enough to warrant optimism. Stocks fell significantly — the Dow Jones average by 159 points — as political gridlock endured. And, in the latest in a string of dire warnings, the International Monetary Fund said failure to raise America’s debt limit could lead to default and disrupt worldwide
financial markets, raise interest rates and push the U.S economy back into recession. Republicans “don’t get to demand ransom in exchange for doing their jobs,” Obama said at the White House. “They don’t also get to say, you know, unless you give me what the voters rejected in the last election, I’m going to cause a recession.” Even the deaths of U.S. servicemen over the weekend in Afghanistan were grist for the politicians. The Pentagon said that because of the partial shutdown it was unable to pay the customary death benefits to the survivors. Boehner said Congress had passed and Obama signed legislation last week permitting the payments, adding it was “disgraceful” for the administration to interpret the measure otherwise. He said the House
SEE SHUTDOWN, PAGE A6
AP
President Barack Obama takes questions after he spoke about the budget and the partial government shutdown Tuesday in the Brady Press Room of the White House in Washington.
Stutzman wants Dems to come to the table WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-3rd, spoke on the House floor Tuesday, calling for President Obama and Senate Democrats to come to the table and end the government shutdown. “Mr. Speaker, back home Hoosiers know that we only solve problems by sitting down and talking,” said Stutzman, a Republican from Howe. “Unfortunately, President Obama and
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refuse to join Republicans in the constructive, respectful dialogue that Washington desperately needs.” Stutzman Stutzman added, “Eight days ago, Senate Democrats shut down the government by refusing four separate
House-passed bills to fund the government. It’s clear that the American people don’t want this shutdown and that’s exactly why the House has passed nine bipartisan, common-sense bills to fund and reopen parts of the government that we can all agree on. “Together, House Republicans and House Democrats have passed bills to ensure that our National Guard is paid, veterans’ benefits
are funded, and our national parks are reopened. Unfortunately, these common-ground solutions are gathering dust in the Senate as Harry Reid refuses to come to the table and talk. “The American people don’t expect Republicans and Democrats to agree on everything, but they do expect us to talk. It’s time for Senate Democrats to put aside their obstructionism and come to the table.”