The Star - January 3, 2014

Page 1

FRIDAY January 3, 2014

Sentence Upheld Page A2 Butler man’s appeal denied

Court Ruling Page A2 Judge makes call in Showgirl suit

Weather Plenty of sun but little warmth today with a high in the teens. Low tonight of 9. Page A8

GOOD MORNING Former Israeli official Sharon turns critical JERUSALEM (AP) — Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for eight years, was in critical condition on Thursday, clinging to life after a decline in the functioning of various bodily organs, his doctors said. Dr. Zeev Rotstein, director of Tel Hashomer hospital, said Sharon’s Sharon condition had deteriorated over the past two days and that a number of vital organs, including his kidneys, were suffering from “critical malfunction.” His family was at his bedside, he added. “He is in critical condition and his life is definitely in danger,” Rotstein told reporters at the hospital, just outside Tel Aviv. “The feeling of the doctors treating him and also that of the family with him is that there is a turn for the worse.”

The

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Snow day Weather socks area, frigid temps are on way FROM STAFF REPORTS

AUBURN — Area residents and business owners used snowplows, snowblowers, shovels and even leaf blowers to dig out Thursday after a winter storm dumped 5 to 8 inches of snow on northeast Indiana overnight. LaGrange and Steuben counties and the northern portions of Noble and DeKalb counties received the heaviest amounts. Winds gusting to 25 mph caused drifting and blowing snow. “Road conditions are terrible,” DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Michael Keesler said

Thursday evening. “From 6 a.m. through 5 p.m. there have been 20 weather-related accidents. Most have been slide-offs with minimal damage.” Adding to misery and inconvenience were the unseasonably low temperatures. Thursday’s high in Auburn was 14 degrees, with wind chills making it feel like 2-below-zero. A slight warm up is expected over the weekend with the high for Saturday of 31. Sunday will see a high of 24. Below-zero temperatures are forecast for Monday and Tuesday.

JEFF JONES

Auburn resident Jason Reinewald uses a snowblower to clear the driveway next to his South Indiana Avenue home Thursday SEE WEATHER, PAGE A8 afternoon following heavy snowfall.

Watson to fill council seat

Winter storm bears down on northeast BOSTON (AP) — A storm expected to bring more than a foot of snow, stiff winds and punishing cold pushed into the Northeast on Thursday, extending Christmas break for some students while posing the first test for New York’s new mayor and perhaps the last challenge for Boston’s outgoing one. Some schools in New England and New York closed well ahead of the snow, while cities mobilized plows and salt spreaders, and state offices sent workers home early. Some major highways were ordered closed overnight. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,300 flights nationwide on Thursday in advance of the storm. The heavy weather began rolling in just a day after New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was sworn in to lead the nation’s largest city and a few days before Boston Mayor Thomas Menino ends 20 years in office.

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............................................ A8 TV/Comics .......................................B5 Vol. 102 No. 2

BY AARON ORGAN aorgan@kpcmedia.com

OCTAVIA LEHMAN

DeKalb Health hospital in Auburn kicked off its 50th anniversary celebrations Thursday with a gathering in the hospital’s south lobby. From left are DeKalb Health Board of Directors chairman

Robert Menzie, DeKalb Health Foundation director Anna Nixon and DeKalb Health CEO Fred Price.

DeKalb Health kicks off its 50th anniversary celebrations BY KATHRYN BASSETT kbassett@kpcmedia.com

AUBURN — Fifty years after the opening its doors, staff and supporters of DeKalb Health hospital gathered Thursday to kick off a celebration of a half-century of service to the community. Fred Price, DeKalb Health’s chief executive officer, said that while celebrating its 50th anniversary, the hospital also will “leapfrog” into the next 50 years.

“This is not just about today,” Price told those who had assembled in the hospital’s south lobby. “We’re going to take this entire year to celebrate the 50th year.” Dubbed the “Miracle of Indiana” because of the immense community support that made its creation possible, DeKalb Memorial Hospital opened its doors on Jan. 2, 1964. Over the 50 years since, it’s seen many

accomplishments, milestones and growth, including the creation of its DeKalb Health corporate identity in 2011. It has undergone several additions and expansions, including the opening of Emergency Medical Services in 1975; the completion of the Medical Arts Center East three-story wing in 1992; the Surgical Center in 2008; and new facilities for ICU, Emergency, SEE DEKALB HEALTH, PAGE A8

AUBURN — Mike Watson, the president of the Auburn Plan Commission, was elected Thursday night in a Republican caucus to fill the vacant 4th District seat on the Auburn City Council. Watson beat out challenger Troy Ackerman in a single round of voting at DeKalb County Republican Party headquarters in Auburn. He fills the 4th District seat formerly held by councilman Dick Stahly, who resigned last month after moving out of the district. Watson was introduced to voting precinct committee members at the caucus by Waterloo Town Marshal Jay Oberholtzer. A longtime Auburn business owner and current general manager of the local ACE Hardware, Watson has served on the Auburn Chamber of Commerce board, the Economic Development Partnership, the Kiwanis Club, the city’s downtown advisory committee and the Downtown Auburn Business Association and the DeKalb County Community Corrections board. SEE COUNCIL, PAGE A8

County’s first baby comes 3 weeks early BY OCTAVIA LEHMAN olehman@kpcmedia.com

AUBURN — The second child for Jim and Sara Spence of Angola came as an early surprise. Their son, not due until Jan. 21, was born on New Year’s Day, earning the title of the first baby of the year at DeKalb Health hospital. Jim said he and his wife planned to get together with family, but that all changed when Sara experienced contractions on New Year’s Eve.

The couple instead headed to DeKalb Health hospital. The next day, Sara gave birth to Jaxon Adam Spence at 8:31 a.m., weighing in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces and 19 3/4 inches long. Despite getting caught by a train, Sara’s physician, Dr. Lindsay M. Coda, made it to the hospital in time to deliver the baby. “I waited as much as I could until she got here,” Sara said. SEE BABY, PAGE A8

OCTAVIA LEHMAN

Jim and Sara Spence of Angola welcomed their son, Jaxon Adam Spence, as the first baby of 2014 at DeKalb Health hospital Wednesday morning at 8:31 a.m.

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