WEDNESDAY December 11, 2013
Christmas Concert Page A2 Patriotic music, Elvis are themes
Taming Lions Page B1 Barons post victory over Leo
Weather High in the mid-20s, 40 percent chance of snow. Tonight’s low 7. Thursday’s high in mid-20s. Page A6
GOOD MORNING House leader hands out committee posts INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana House Speaker Brian C. Bosma, R-Indianapolis, has updated the House Republican committee assignments after two new members joined the caucus. State Rep. Casey Cox, R-Fort Wayne, was sworn in to serve the remainder of the term of State Rep. Phyllis Pond, who died in September after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. State Rep. Greg Beumer, R-Modoc, was sworn in to fulfill the remainder of the term of State Rep. Bill Davis, who resigned from his seat in November to serve as the executive director of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs. These are the committee assignments for House members representing northeast Indiana: Rep. David Ober, R-Albion, vice chair of the Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee; and member of the Ways and Means Committee; Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, vice chair of the Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development Committee; member of the Public Policy Committee; and member of the Roads and Transportation Committee; and Rep. Dennis Zent, R-Angola, member of the Financial Institutions Committee; member of the Public Health Committee; and member of the Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee.
Late Don Moore gets Sagamore award KENDALLVILLE — The late Don Moore will receive the Sagamore of the Wabash award in a ceremony at 11 a.m. today at American Legion Post 86. The Sagamore of the Wabash is an honorary award bestowed by the state governor on Hoosiers who have contributed to the betterment of Indiana and its citizens. State Rep. David Ober, R-Albion, is scheduled to present the award to Moore’s family. The public is invited to attend in the post’s banquet room at 322 S. Main St.
NEW ON VIDEO Take a ride down Pokagon’s toboggan slide kpcnews.com
Info • The Star 118 W. Ninth St. Auburn, IN 46706 Auburn: (260) 925-2611 Fax: (260) 925-2625 Classifieds: (toll free) (877) 791-7877 Circulation: (toll free) (800) 717-4679
Index
•
Classifieds.................................B7-B8 Life..................................................... A5 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion .............................................B4 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A6 TV/Comics .......................................B6 Vol. 101 No. 340
The
Serving DeKalb County since 1871
Auburn, Indiana
75 cents
kpcnews.com
Plow crews ready to battle winter BY AARON ORGAN aorgan@kpcmedia.com
AUBURN — Let it snow, because city and county road crews are ready. More than 1,200 tons of salt sit in city and county barns waiting for Mother Nature to drop her annual winter offering on local roadways. Both Auburn street superintendent Bill Brandon and county highway director Eric Patton said their fleets of plow trucks are primed for nature’s assault.
“We’re ready, it’s just a matter of waiting for it to get here,” said Brandon. When it does get here, Brandon and Patton said all their fleet trucks have undergone seasonal maintenance checks, their crews have been put on notice and their plans have been laid out — as much as possible, of course. The city and county operate during winter storms in much the same way. Patton and Brandon will watch weather reports ahead of predicted storms, and
dispatchers and local police will serve as the eyes and ears to report road conditions to them. When snow and ice fall, road crews will be called in and deployed. The city’s street department has a 12-man crew to run its fleet of 10 heavy-duty trucks and six smaller plow trucks, though Brandon can call in 6-8 workers from other city departments to help plow if conditions warrant extra help. Patton has a 20-man crew at his disposal, and said SEE PLOW, PAGE A6
“Every event is different, from the timing of it to the amount of precipitation to what kind of precipitation” Bill Brandon Auburn street superintendent
•
Budget deal modest Agreement cuts only $23 billion
DAVE KURTZ
The wise men sing before traveling to Bethlehem in “The Journey,” a Christmas musical at Lakewood Park Baptist Church. From left are Todd Page, Dave Johnson, Bill Moore and Andy
Maslin. Director Scott Taylor notes that the Bible does not specify the number of wise men, although it describes them bringing three gifts.
Festival of Lights opens Thursday story in a unique way and are drawn to Bethlehem and the baby Jesus in the manger. Other cast members portray Micah the prophet, Mary and Joseph, the angels, shepherds and wise men as they celebrate the birth of Christ. Performances are scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 and 7 p.m. All tickets for the Friday performance have been sold. Reserved-seating tickets are available for $5 each by calling the church office, 925-2006. Some free general-seating tickets are available.
AUBURN — Festival of Lights 2013 opens Thursday for six performances at Lakewood Park Baptist Church, 5555 C.R. 29, Auburn. A cast of approximately 50 people will present “The Journey,” a Christmas story featuring drama, dance, music and more than 40,000 lights that react with computerized synchronization to the music. “The Journey” tells the story of a single mother, Laura, who has allowed life to take her on a journey that led her away from the Lord and her faith. She and her 10-year-old son, Max, take a journey together as they experience the Christmas
WASHINGTON (AP) — Shedding gridlock, key members of Congress reached a modest budget agreement Tuesday to restore about $63 billion in automatic spending cuts from programs ranging from parks to the Pentagon. The spending increases would be offset by a variety of increased fees and other provisions elsewhere in the budget totaling about $85 billion over a decade, leaving enough for a largely symbolic cut of about $23 billion in the nation’s debt, now $17 trillion and growing. Federal workers, retired members of the military under age 62, airline travelers and health care providers who treat Medicare patients would bear much of the cost. The budget deal was one of a few major measures left on Congress’ to-do list near the end of a bruising year that has produced a partial government SEE BUDGET, PAGE A6
Obama’s Mandela eulogy echoes his own agenda JOHANNESBURG (AP) — President Barack Obama’s eulogy was for Nelson Mandela, but it laid out for a global audience the work that Obama himself would like to be remembered for: an unending fight against injustice and inequality. Obama acknowledged he sometimes wonders whether he is doing enough to live up to Mandela’s historic legacy. Speaking to a crowd of thousands at a rain-soaked memorial service — and millions more on television — Obama said it was crucial that progress in the U.S. and South Africa not “cloud the fact that our work is not yet done.” He said that struggles to come “may not be as filled with drama and moral clarity as those that came before, but they are no less important.” Behind Obama’s words was the difficult political reality he and Mandela both faced. They became their nations’ first black presidents, shattering racial barriers that once seemed impossible to break. But their groundbreaking electoral success came with sky-high expectations that proved difficult to fulfill, on problems like poverty and injustice. For Obama, Tuesday’s focus on global inequality dovetailed with an agenda he is trying to revive in the U.S., as he seeks to steady his standing with middle class Americans after a trying presidential year. Obama’s renewed attention to the issue of income inequality in particular is popular with his liberal base, though he stands little chance of gaining support for items such as
“There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s struggle for freedom but do not tolerate dissent from their own people.” President Barack Obama
• a minimum wage increase from congressional Republicans. “With honesty, regardless of our station or our circumstance, we must ask: ‘How well have I applied his lessons in my own life?” Obama said of Mandela. “It’s a question I ask myself, as a man and as president.” While Obama may be facing political troubles at home, his broad popularity in South Africa was on full display. The crowd at the Johannesburg soccer stadium erupted in applause each time the American president’s name was mentioned or his image flashed on the stadium screen. In small but significant ways, Obama also appeared to be trying to live Mandela’s message of overcoming animosity and bitterness. He shared a brief handshake with Cuban President Raul Castro, who attended the service. It was a rare greeting between the leaders of two countries that have long been at odds, and the simple gesture stoked talk of a possible rapprochement. But just moments later, Obama
AP
President Barack Obama waves as he arrives to speak at the memorial service for former South African president Nelson Mandela at the FNB Stadium in the Johannesburg, South Africa township of Soweto, Tuesday.
launched into veiled criticism of Cuba and other authoritarian governments that were friendly with Mandela. “There are too many people who happily embrace Madiba’s legacy of racial reconciliation but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality,” Obama said, referring to Mandela by his clan name. “There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s struggle for freedom but do not tolerate dissent from their own people.” The White House said Obama
met with members of Mandela’s family during the memorial service, including Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, and expressed condolences on behalf of the American people. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama also called Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa from their hotel after the service to thank the retired Anglican bishop for his anti-apartheid work. By the time Obama became president, Mandela had largely retired from public life. The two men held just one in-person meeting in 2005 and spoke only occasionally by phone.