THURSDAY November 14, 2013
All Saints Day
Guest Column
St. Mary students learn about saints
Big Numbers
The Strand vital part of life in Kendallville
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Boilermakers hit triple digits in win
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Page B1
Weather Sunny, high 47. Low tonight in the lower 30s. Friday’s high in the upper 40s. Page A6 Serving Noble & LaGrange Counties
Kendallville, Indiana
GOOD MORNING
LIGONIER — The Ligonier Police Department is working with law enforcement agencies in the South Bend to locate Clarissa Benavides. She’s 15 years old and has run away from her father’s home in South Benavides Bend. Ligonier police were notified Friday by family members that the girl may be in Ligonier. She also has friends in the South Bend area. Her mother, Leighann Kesterman, attended West Noble High School. Ligonier Det. Gary Cox has been making inquiries in the West Noble area but so far none of the leads has helped locate her. Cox drove to South Bend on Tuesday to gain additional information and look for her there. Anyone with information on Clarissa Benavides is asked to call the Ligonier Police Dept. at 894-4111.
Freed from prison in ‘Baby Alissa’ case, Topeka woman faces felony meth charges LAGRANGE — Christy T. Shaffer, a Topeka woman who served less than three months of a 10-year prison sentence for neglect involving the death of a toddler, returned to court Wednesday, this time charged with two methamphetamine-related offenses. Shaffer, 35, was arrested Tuesday just outside of Topeka after she was implicated during the Nov. 1 arrest of two men in Topeka charged with manufacturing methamphetamine. Shaffer
allegedly called one of the men on her cellphone while police were conducting their investigation. A drug test administered by authorities on Shaffer a few days later turned up positive for methamphetamine. Shaffer was then Shaffer picked up by police officers on Tuesday and charged with two class D felonies, maintaining a
common nuisance and possession of methamphetamine. Both counts carry a minimum sentence of six months in jail and a maximum of three years. Shaffer made her initial appearance on the new charges Wednesday afternoon in LaGrange County Circuit Court by video link from the county jail. Senior Judge Robert Probst of Noble County presided. Shaffer, wearing a jail jumpsuit, said little during the proceedings, answering questions “yes” or “no” in a barely audible voice. Asked if she could hire an attorney, Shaffer quietly gave her longest answer of the proceeding, telling the court she didn’t have any money. She
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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. 314
stood almost motionless, with her hands crossed tightly across her chest, throughout the bulk of the 30-minute hearing. LaGrange County Judge J. Scott VanDerbeck released Shaffer from prison after she served only 77 days of the 10-year sentence he originally imposed after she was convicted of neglect of a dependent in the 2009 death of 16-month old Alissa Guernsey. Groups of people from around the nation have since shown up regularly on the LaGrange courthouse lawn to march and carry signs, protesting VanDerbeck’s decision to release Shaffer early. SEE SUSPECT, PAGE A6
Total falls short
Less than 27,000 enrolled through troubled website
State legislator has lung cancer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A northwestern Indiana lawmaker says she’ll continue serving in the General Assembly while being treated for lung cancer. Republican state Sen. Sue Landske (LAND’-skee) of Cedar Lake said Wednesday she’ll begin treatments immediately at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and that her doctors are confident she’ll make a full recovery. The 76-year-old Landske says she’ll continue to serve as long as she’s healthy enough to do so. She represents parts of Lake, Benton and Newton counties.
75 cents
Controversial suspect back in court BY PATRICK REDMOND predmond@kpcmedia.com
Ligonier police aiding in search for runaway girl
kpcnews.com
before the May 6, 2014, primary election. The courthouse also would be open for voting for the two Saturdays immediately before May 6. Early voting also would take place from noon to 7 p.m. for six days before the election, not including Sunday, and on Election Day at Bridgeway Evangelical Church, Kendallville, and the Crosswalk Church, Ligonier. Early voting also would be available from noon to 7 p.m. at
WASHINGTON (AP) — Putting a statistic on disappointment, the Obama administration revealed Wednesday that fewer than 27,000 people signed up for private health insurance last month in the 36 states relying on a problem-filled federal website. States running their own enrollment systems did better, signing up more than 79,000, for a total enrollment of over 106,000. Still, that was barely one-fifth of the nearly 500,000 people administration officials had projected would sign up the first month of Obama’s signature program, a numerical rebuke to the administration’s ability to deliver on its promise. The 106,185 people who made it all the way through to selecting a plan represent just 1.5 percent of the 7 million people the administration hopes to enroll by next year. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said things will get better, and quickly. “There is no doubt the level of interest is strong,” she said. The administration said an additional 1 million or so applicants have been found eligible for government-subsidized private coverage in new state-level insurance markets, and about half are within sight of having their plans lined up for the start of next year. An additional 396,000 have been found eligible for Medicaid, the safety-net program that is shaping up as the health care law’s early success story. The numbers landed amid a political storm on Capitol Hill. Democrats who had hoped to run for re-election next year on the success of the health care law are increasingly worried. It’s not only the website woes, but a wave of cancellation notices hitting constituents whose individual health insurance policies don’t measure up to the law’s requirements. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has scheduled an all-Democrats meeting Thursday with White House health care officials. The administration has staked its credibility on turning the website around by the end of this month. From the president on
SEE VOTE, PAGE A6
SEE HEALTHCARE, PAGE A6
PATRICK REDMOND
Rodger Howell adjusts the harnesses of his two white horses during a brief stop alongside the road in LaGrange County. Howell, along with
his dog, a border collie named Banjo, is making his way across the Indiana on his way home to Tennessee.
Horses show veteran country BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — In Vietnam, he was coated with Agent Orange. In Erin, Tenn., he was a police chief for 16 years. Then, Rodger Howell received a grim prognosis from his doctor — his heart is weak and may not take another serious illness or surgery. “My life expectancy is rather short,” said Howell, 62, sitting in a pie wagon purchased from an Amish man in Hudson, Mich., while his two horses rested at Papa Duck gas station on U.S. 20, just east of the LaGrange County line. His plans Wednesday were to proceed west on the highway and find a place to camp in the early afternoon. A master ferrier, Howell traveled from Tennessee to Michigan, where he visited his children and grandchildren, in a horse-drawn wagon. He is returning to Tennessee the same way. It’s a leisurely trek that has
allowed him to see more of the world than he would at 70 miles per hour, he said. “I’ve met some of the greatest people this country could supply,” Howell said. And, he said, he feels better than he has for a long time. He served in the military and was a police officer for 24 years. He said those experiences left him with a not-so-good feeling about humanity. This trip has changed things for him. Howell, who has a Facebook page, said other people have said he inspired them as well. People have followed him and posted notes wishing him safe travels. Howell plans to take S.R. 13 near Goshen on his route south. He camps where he can, and if an outlet is available, he has an electric heater to keep him warm while he sleeps in his covered wagon. The horses travel 25 to 45 miles a day, Howell said. After he returns to his home state, Howell expects to make a
PATRICK REDMOND
Pulled by a team of white horses, retired police chief Rodger Howell makes his way along U.S. 20 just east of LaGrange Wednesday afternoon. Howell is headed to Elkhart County, where he plans to turn south and head home to Tennessee.
trip to Florida, again, in a wagon. “That’s the only way I’m going to travel from now on,” he said.
Election board OKs vote centers BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com
ALBION — The Noble County Election Board has approved a proposal to use vote centers in Noble County’s 2014 elections. The proposal that passed the board by a 3-0 vote Tuesday is different than either of two plans previously discussed. It still must be approved by the county commissioners and county council before it can take effect. The plan approved Tuesday calls for eight vote centers in
communities around Noble County, with early voting at five of the vote centers plus the Noble County Courthouse. The idea is to increase the opportunity to vote by allowing people to vote early and at any vote center, rather than having to go to a particular precinct, Noble County Clerk Shelley Mawhorter said. The plan calls for early voting during Noble County Courthouse hours at the courthouse Monday through Friday for four weeks
Help us celebrate our 150th Anniversary Open House Friday, November 15th, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ~ Saturday, November 16th, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Celebrating 150 Years As Your Full-Service Jewelers 127 S. Main St., Kendallville • 260-347-0560
Honoring Our Past Anticipating Our Future
~ Meet our young and talented craftsmen who will take our full-service jewelry store into the next generation. ~ Preview our new, expanded selection of gift ideas ~ Tour our jewelry, watch and clock workshops ~ Learn about our history and the 5 generations of watchmaker jewelers who created this history
Santa will be here Friday from 4-6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.