The News Sun – November 18, 2013

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MONDAY November 18, 2013

Bowl-a-thon

Benefit

JA program helped by event

Community rallies for Cromwell firefighter

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Westview Boys’ basketball season preview

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Weather Partly cloudy skies with a 20 percent chance of rain. High of 48. Low of 28. Page A6

GOOD MORNING Tornadoes, damaging storms sweep across Midwest states WASHINGTON, Ill. (AP) — Dozens of tornadoes and intense thunderstorms swept across the Midwest on Sunday, unleashing powerful winds that flattened entire neighborhoods, flipping over cars, uprooting trees and leaving at least five people dead. Illinois took the brunt of the fury as the string of unusually powerful late-season tornadoes tore across the state, injuring dozens and even prompting officials at Chicago’s Soldier Field to evacuate the stands and delay the Bears game. “The whole neighborhood’s gone. The wall of my fireplace is all that is left of my house,” said Michael Perdun, speaking by cellphone from the hard-hit central Illinois town of Washington, where he said his neighborhood was wiped out in a matter of seconds. “I stepped outside and I heard it coming. My daughter was already in the basement, so I ran downstairs and grabbed her, crouched in the laundry room and all of a sudden I could see daylight up the stairway and my house was gone.” An elderly man and his sister were killed when a tornado hit their home in the rural southern Illinois community of New Minden, said coroner Mark Styninger. A third person died in Washington, while two others perished in Massac county in the far southern part of the state, said Patti Thompson of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. She did not provide details. With communications difficult and many roads impassable, it remained unclear how many people were killed or hurt. The Illinois National Guard said it had dispatched 10 firefighters and three vehicles to Washington to assist with immediate search and recovery operations. In the rural community of 16,000, whole blocks of houses were erased from the landscape and Illinois State Police Trooper Dustin Pierce said the tornado cut a path from one end of town to the other, knocking down power lines, uprooting trees and rupturing gas lines. SHARE YOUR NEWS Send your news and news tips to KPC Media Group

Kendallville, Indiana

Serving Noble & LaGrange Counties

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Fire ravages former mushroom farm Dozens of firefighters from more than 30 departments fought blaze BY PATRICK REDMOND predmond@kpcmedia.com

BRIGHTON — A massive fire driven by high winds destroyed a large building Saturday night at the former Brighton Mushroom Farm, 8125 E. C.R. 600N, approximately two miles east of Brighton in northeast LaGrange County. The fire broke out in a large building at the back of the property shortly before 9 p.m. It burned throughout the night and into Sunday morning. A total of 34 fire departments and more than 100 firefighters fought to bring the fire under control. There were no injuries reported. “There’s still fire in there we

can’t reach,” Mongo Fire Chief Ike Notestine said, gesturing toward the large structure Sunday morning. “The building is a total loss.” The fire continued to smolder even as the last Mongo fire truck on the scene packed up and left the property around noon on Sunday. The cause of the fire is still unknown. Notestine said the entire structure was completely engulfed in flames when the first fire truck arrived. Notestine, who was on that truck, quickly called for assistance from other surrounding fire departments. SEE FIRE, PAGE A6

PATRICK REDMOND

A large storage building was completely destroyed by fire Saturday night and Sunday morning at the former Brighton Mushroom Farm just east of Brighton. More than 100 firefighters from 34 different fire departments fought throughout the night to bring the fire under control.

Winds whip area; no injuries BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com

HUDSON — Wind storms whipped through northeast Indiana Sunday afternoon, damaging homes and vehicles and taking down numerous trees and power lines. While damage in other parts of the state was greater, there were reports of heavy damage in some areas, especially in the vicinity of southern Steuben and LaGrange counties. No injuries were reported in the four-county area of northeast Indiana. “It hit us pretty hard,” said Hudson Town Marshal Mark Thrasher. “The wind didn’t last very long, but it was pretty intense.” Power outages also were widespread, scattered throughout Noble, DeKalb, LaGrange and Steuben counties as fallen trees and high winds downed power lines. Heavy rain was also reported in most areas. Indiana Michigan Power reported 72,000 customers without power in Indiana and Michigan due to high winds as of Sunday evening. Gusts of up to 84 mph were reported in the area, a press release said. “Numerous poles were down in areas throughout the service area. Residents of the area should use extreme caution and stay away from fallen poles and power lines,” the press release said. Of the customers without power, about 8,400 were in I&M’s Fort Wayne area, which includes

CHAD KLINE

Noble County Emergency Managament director Mick Newton, right, and homeowner Jerry Manns look over damage at the residence following a strong storm that blew through Noble County.

its customers in the northeast corner counties. “Because damage is still being assessed, estimated times that power will be restored is uncertain,” the press release said. A contingent of I&M crews was to work through the night to isolate and remove hazards and respond to emergency situations. A full force of I&M crews, aided by employees of other electric companies and outside contractors, will work on assessing damage and restoring power

Manns and his family took cover in the basement of the home when they started to see daylight over their head as their roof came off the home.

beginning this morning, the company said. As of 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Noble REMC reported 1,600 residences in its service area without power, said Noble County Emergency Management Agency executive director Michael Newton. Residents also reported power outages in Cromwell and Wawaka. The LaGrange County E-911 Dispatch Center reported receiving more than 150 calls in a 45-minute span about trees or power lines down and outages.

LaGrange County REMC, Northern Indiana Public Service Co. and the LaGrange County Highway Department had crews working on clearing roads and restoring power Sunday evening. In rural Kendallville, the winds took the roof off a house with the family inside. Jerry Manns and his family took cover in the basement of their home in the 10000 block of East C.R. 1000N when they started to see daylight over their head as SEE WINDS, PAGE A6

Glasper keeps Pokagon State Park working Manager’s duties include facilities, grounds and toboggan slide

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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

BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcnews.net

Index

Classifieds.................................B6-B7 Life..................................................... A5 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion .............................................B4 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A6 TV/Comics .......................................B5 Vol. 104 No. 318

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MIKE MARTURELLO

Pokagon State Park maintenance foreman Tim Glasper stands in front of the chillers used to refrigerate the park’s quarter-mile, two-track toboggan slide. The mechanical equipment for the slide, which is maintained by Glasper and his crew, is in a building the size of about a single-car garage adjacent to the track.

LAKE JAMES — Pokagon State Park, with all of its mechanical devices, vast property and just shy of 1 million visitors a year, is like taking care of a small town. The man who makes sure it all works is Tim Glasper, the resident maintenance foreman. “It really is like running a small town,” said Ted Bohman, Pokagon property manager. Glasper is in charge of it all. He’s like the department head of the water, sewer, streets and grounds departments — the park superintendent, so to speak. “Basically my responsibilities are all of the facilities and the grounds,” Glasper said, “as well as Trine State Recreation Area.” (Trine is Pokagon’s sister property.) There’s a sewer plant that handles waste from Potawatomi Inn and a variety of facilities.

See inside the slide Tim Glasper talks more about his job and shows some of the machinery that makes Pokagon’s toboggan run work in video at kpcnews.com. Scan the QR code to watch it on your tablet or smartphone.

There are three water plants to provide drinking water to the campgrounds and Potawatomi and another two in TSRA. There are roads to be maintained. There’s lots of grass to cut. Trails have to be kept clear for hikers. If you think it’s work putting your dock out in the spring and taking it in in the fall, consider all of the slips just in front of Potawatomi Inn alone. Glasper is quick to point out he has a full-time crew of seven who, he says, make him look pretty good. In peak times, as many as 35-40 work in Pokagon. “There are no I’s out here. It’s SEE POKAGON, PAGE A6


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