The Star - December 23, 2013

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MONDAY December 23, 2013

Duck problems Page A3 Fans support ‘Dynasty’ star

Manning sets record Page B1 Former Colts QB breaks TD mark

Weather Mostly cloudy skies with a 30 percent chance of snow. High of 26. Low of 11. Page A6

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State faces flooding woes following heavy rains GOOD MORNING Red Cross plans local blood drives in coming weeks The American Red Cross is encouraging people to make new year’s resolutions to help patients in need through regular blood donations. The Red Cross will provide these blood donation opportunities in the new year in DeKalb County: • Thursday, Jan. 2, from 26 p.m. at Dayspring Church, 2305 N. Indiana Ave., Auburn; • Thursday, Jan. 2, from 12:30-6 p.m. at Hamilton United Methodist Church, 7780 S. Wayne St., Hamilton, where each donor will get a 2-ounce brick of Dunkin Donuts coffee and a coupon for a free pound of Dunkin Donuts coffee; • Tuesday, Jan. 7, from noon to 6 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 1203 E. Seventh St., Auburn; • Tuesday, Jan. 14, from 1-5:30 p.m. at the American Legion post, 515 W. Fifth Ave., Garrett, where donors may enjoy Girl Scout cookies in the refreshment area; and • Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lakewood Park Christian School gymnasium, 5555 CR 29, Auburn. People who are at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent in Indiana), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also must meet certain height and weight requirements. A blood donor card, driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients.

LETTERS TO SANTA Send your Christmas wishes to Santa Claus kpcnews.com Features > Letters to Santa

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.................................B6-B7 Life..................................................... A5 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion .............................................B4 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A6 TV/Comics .......................................B5 Vol. 101 No. 352

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Heavy weekend rains from a massive storm system dumped nearly seven inches of rain on parts of Indiana, leaving many of the state’s rivers and streams flooded and sparking a series of water rescues, authorities said Sunday. Between three and five inches of rain fell across central and southern Indiana over three days starting Friday, with the National Weather Service reporting 6.75 inches of rainfall about five miles south of Vincennes in southwestern Indiana. Flood warnings were posted along numerous rivers and streams, including the Big Blue River, which was projected to crest Monday in Shelbyville, about 25 miles southeast of Indianapolis. Shelby County emergency management director Mike Schantz said floodwaters were

threatening to overflow the banks of many other rivers and streams, including Sugar Creek at New Palestine. Schantz told The Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/1ichdB5 ) that many residents living in low-lying areas were driven from their homes by floodwaters and evacuated to Shelbyville High School. By Sunday morning, he said, all of those residents were able to leave the shelter, but emergency crews were keeping an eye on water levels. “Things are pretty stable at the moment,” Schantz said. “We’re kind of in a wait-and-see … we’ve done about all the sandbagging we can.” Shelbyville and surrounding areas could see flooding similar to 2005 levels, when Shelby County and many counties south of Indianapolis experienced their

worst bout of flooding in 70 years, he said. Joe Skowronek, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Indianapolis office, said the heaviest rains from the weekend storm fell in an area running from southwestern Indiana to just south of Indianapolis and then into eastern and southeastern counties. Rainfall amounts in those areas were generally between four and five inches. Conservation officers rescued a southwestern Indiana man Saturday night who clung barefoot for about three hours to a Pike County bridge abutment after floodwaters swept him off his four-wheeler. Michael D. Christmas, 30, of Velpen had been returning home from work in Otwell when he was swept off his vehicle. An Indianapolis Fire Department dive crew used a boat to

rescue a Michigan family of four early Sunday after their vehicle became stuck in high waters on Indianapolis’ east side. That crew rescued 51-year-old Douglas Nieske, his 53-year-old wife, Sonia, and the couple’s 19-yearold and 21-year-old daughters about 2 a.m. Sunday. The Shelby Township, Mich., family’s luggage was also retrieved from their water-logged car. Skowronek said flooding along Indiana’s rivers and streams in that area would likely linger until mid-week. He said there’s little chance that Indiana’s snowpack that was washed away by the rains will be replaced in time for a white Christmas. Skowronek said there’s a slight chance of snow Wednesday night and Thursday, but that system will bring only a dusting of snow to the state.

Winter arrives Ice, snow to hamper holiday travel plans CHAD KLINE

Terrie Beckley stands at B&J Medical in Kendallville among some of the toys and clothes collected for children through the Miracle Tree

program of Noble County. Christmas presents were distributed to families Dec. 15.

Making Christmas miracles Woman began program to help kids during holidays BY JAMES TEW jtew@kpcmedia.com

KENDALLVILLE — On a cold December night, Terrie Beckley sits behind a table not far from the machines at B&J Medical, meticulously keeping a log of donated toys and requests from needy families. Dressed in a red sweatshirt and wearing a Santa hat with a Colts logo on the front, the Albion resident looks like she could be one of the jolly old elf’s helpers. And she is. For 26 years, Beckley has overseen the Noble County Miracle Tree, which provides toys and clothes to needy families during the Christmas season. The program began as a Daisy Girl Scout project for Beckley’s

NEIGHBORS NOBLE

COUNTY

daughter and her troop. “There was a little girl in Albion that weighed 2 pounds when she was born and her family was struggling and just having a real hard time at Christmas,” Beckley said. “We collected gifts for her and some money for bills and then we did a couple more kids, so we ended up with eight the first year.” The troop decided to continue doing the project each year, but eventually it grew too large for the scouts to manage.

Learn more in video Terrie Beckley talks more about Miracle Tree and its volunteers in video at kpcnews.com. Scan the QR code to watch it on your tablet or smartphone.

The program will provide gifts to 340 children this year; some years have seen as many as 700. Miracle Tree serves families throughout Noble County, except in Kendallville and Avilla/LaOtto where local programs exist. Each SEE MIRACLE, PAGE A6

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The first full day of winter brought a wild mix of weather across the U.S. on Sunday: ice and high wind in the Great Lakes and New England areas, flooding in the South, snow in the Midwest and record-shattering temperatures in the 60s and 70s along the mid-Atlantic. Snow and ice knocked out power to 400,000 homes and businesses in Michigan, upstate New York and northern New England, and also left more than 400,000 people without electricity in eastern Canada. It could be days before the lights are back on everywhere. As of midafternoon, more than 500 airline flights had been canceled and about 3,800 delayed, according to aviation tracking website FlightAware.com. The icy weather was expected to make roads hazardous through at least Monday from the upper Midwest to northern New England during one of the busiest travel times of the year. In Kentucky, five people were killed in flooding caused by the storm system. The bodies of three people were pulled from Rolling Fork River on Sunday after their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters, a fourth person drowned in Carroll County after SEE WINTER, PAGE A6

Obama health care overhaul top 2013 news story NEW YORK (AP) — The glitch-plagued rollout of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul was the top news story of 2013, followed by the Boston Marathon bombing and the dramatic papal changeover at the Vatican, according to The Associated Press’ annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors. The saga of “Obamacare” — as the Affordable Care Act is widely known — received 45 first-place votes out of the 144 ballots cast for the top 10 stories. The marathon bombing received 29 first-place votes and the papal transition 21. Other strong contenders were the bitter partisan conflict in Congress and the leaks about National Security Agency surveillance by former NSA analyst Edward Snowden. Last year, the top story was the massacre of 26 children and staff at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. That result came after a rare decision by the AP to re-conduct the voting; the initial round of balloting had ended Dec. 13, a day before the Newtown

shooting, with the 2012 election at the top. The first AP top-stories poll was conducted in 1936, when editors chose the abdication of Britain’s King Edward VIII. Here are 2013’s top 10 stories, in order: HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL: The White House had hoped the Oct. 1 launch of open enrollment would be a showcase for the upside of Obama’s much-debated overhaul. Instead, the website became a symbol of dysfunction, providing Republicans and late-night comics with ammunition, and worrying the president’s Democratic allies. The site gradually improved, but a wave of cancellation notices from insurers undercut Obama’s oft-repeated promise that people who liked their existing coverage could keep it. BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING: In seconds, a scene of celebration transformed into one of carnage, as two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April. Three people were killed and more than

AP

An emergency responder and volunteers, including Carlos Arredondo, wearing a cowboy hat, push Jeff Bauman in a wheelchair after he was injured in an explosion near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15.

260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. Authorities soon identified two suspects — 26-yearold Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who died in a shootout with police, and his brother, Dzhokhar, 20, who faces multiple charges, including 17

that carry a possible death penalty. Though jolted by the bombings and a subsequent lockdown, the city rallied under the slogan “Boston Strong.” VATICAN CHANGEOVER: SEE 2013, PAGE A6


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