WEDNESDAY October 9, 2013
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GOOD MORNING KPC video features Miss Indiana Thomas KENDALLVILLE — As a little girl, Terrin Thomas of Auburn watched performances of Raise A Ruckus at the Apple Festival of Kendallville. Thomas said she Thomas dreamed of being part of the performance and wearing the black-andwhitecheckered dress worn by Miss Indiana and other pageant winners. Saturday, as Miss Indiana 2013, she saw her dream came true. Thomas talks about the show and her future plans as Miss Indiana in a video at kpcnews.com. Scan the QR code to watch it on your tablet or smartphone.
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NIPSCO forecasts stable heat bills MERRILLVILLE — NIPSCO said Tuesday that with normal winter temperatures, its customers’ heating bills will be approximately 1 percent higher than last winter’s bills — and some of the lowest bills in the last decade. Over the course of the five-month winter heating season — Nov. 1 to March 31 — NIPSCO’s average residential customers using a total of 624 therms of natural gas could expect to pay approximately $437. That compares to $433 for a customer using the same amount of gas during last winter.
NIPSCO’s projections take into account market forecasts, supply trends and storage levels, among other considerations. NIPSCO said has among the lowest residential gas bills in Indiana, according to comparisons released monthly by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. The utility said actual bills will vary by customer depending on a home’s age and size, the number in the household, number and age of gas appliances, thermostat settings and insulation levels. “Natural gas continues to
be one of the lowest-cost, most reliable and abundant energy sources for customers,” said NIPSCO CEO Jim Stanley. “The outlook on natural gas prices and domestic supplies remain stable for the foreseeable future, which is great news as we head toward the winter heating season.” While winter bill amounts are projected to be relatively flat compared to last winter, the company expects usage amounts to be slightly higher. Last winter’s usage was lower than normal due to warmer temperatures during some months.
Yellen choice for Fed
Democrats to raise the debt limit by $1 trillion to stave off a possible default drew little evidence of support from Republi-
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will nominate Federal Reserve vice chair Janet Yellen to succeed Ben Bernanke as chairman of the nation’s central bank, the White House said Tuesday. Yellen would be the first woman to head the powerful Fed, taking over at a pivotal time for the economy and the banking industry. Both Yellen and Bernanke are scheduled to appear with Obama at the White House on Wednesday for a formal announcement. Bernanke will serve until his term ends Jan. 31, completing a remarkable eight-year tenure in which he helped pull the U.S. economy out of the worst financial crisis and recession since the 1930’s. Under Bernanke’s leadership, the Fed created extraordinary programs after the financial crisis erupted in 2008 that are credited with helping save the U.S. banking system. The Fed lent money to banks after credit markets froze, cut its key short-term interest rate to near zero and bought trillions in bonds to lower long-term borrowing rates. Yellen, 67, emerged as the leading candidate after Lawrence Summers, a former Treasury secretary whom Obama was thought to favor, withdrew from consideration last month in the face of rising opposition. A close ally of the chairman, she has been a key architect of the Fed’s efforts under Bernanke to keep interest rates near record lows to support the economy, and she would likely continue steering Fed policy in the same direction as Bernanke. The White House announcement comes in the midst of a confrontation between Obama and congressional Republicans, particularly those in the House, over the partial government shutdown and the looming breach of the nation’s $16.7 trillion borrowing limit. Obama has been harshly critical of Republicans for demanding either changes in health care or spending policies in exchange for paying for government operations and raising the debt ceiling. White House aides, however, said Obama was not likely to use Yellen’s nomination announcement
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Caucus picks Cox to fill House vacancy FORT WAYNE — Fort Wayne attorney Casey Cox won election to fill the remainder of the late state Rep. Phyllis Pond’s term in the Indiana House of Representatives during a Republican caucus Tuesday evening. Rep. Pond died Sept. 22 at age 82. She had served 35 years in the Indiana House of Representatives as a Republican from New Haven. During part of her term, she represented portions of southern DeKalb County. Cox will complete Pond’s term in office that runs through late 2014. In Tuesday’s caucus, he received 37 of the 59 votes from Republican precinct leaders in the 85th District to win on the first ballot over six rival candidates, according to our news partner, WANE-TV.
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Classifieds.................................B7-B8 Life..................................................... A5 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion .............................................B4 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A6 TV/Comics .......................................B6 Vol. 101 No. 278
The cost of natural gas represents the largest portion of customer bills — on average, two-thirds of an overall bill. NIPSCO said it has no mark-up and makes no profit on the cost of natural gas billed to its customers. Before billing, natural gas commodity costs must be reviewed by the IURC. NIPSCO said it cannot control market conditions affecting the price of natural gas, but it does negotiate the best possible price for the natural gas it purchases for its customers.
AP
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio gestures while speaking outside his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday. President Barack Obama stepped up pressure on Boehner to hold
votes to reopen the federal government and prevent a potentially disastrous U.S. government default.
Hints of compromise Obama, Boehner raise hopes amid heated rhetoric WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner traded heated rhetoric yet also showed signs of compromise Tuesday, a frustratingly inconclusive combination that left an eight-day partial government shutdown firmly in place and the threat of an unprecedented national default drawing closer. Stocks fell significantly — the Dow Jones average by 159 points — as political gridlock endured. And, in the latest in a string of dire warnings, the International Monetary Fund said failure to raise America’s debt limit could lead to default and disrupt worldwide financial markets, raise interest rates and push the U.S economy back into recession. Even the deaths of U.S. servicemen over the weekend in Afghanistan were grist for the politicians. The Pentagon said that because of the partial shutdown it was unable to pay the customary death benefits to the survivors. Republican House Speaker John Boehner said Congress had passed
‘They do expect us to talk’ WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-3rd, spoke on the House floor Tuesday, calling for President Obama and Senate Democrats to come to the table and end the government shutdown. “Mr. Speaker, back home Hoosiers know that we only solve problems by sitting down and talking,” said Stutzman, a Republican from Howe. “Unfortunately, President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refuse to join Republicans in the constructive, respectful dialogue that Washington desperately needs.” Stutzman added, “Eight days ago, Senate Democrats shut down the government by refusing four separate House-passed bills to fund the government. It’s clear that the American people don’t want this shutdown and that’s exactly why the House has passed nine bipartisan, common-sense bills legislation last week permitting the payments, adding it was “disgraceful” for the administration to say otherwise. In Congress, a plan by Senate
to fund and reopen parts of the government that we can all agree on. “Together, House Republicans and House Democrats have passed bills to ensure that our National Guard is paid, veterans’ benefits are funded, and our national parks are reopened. Unfortunately, these commonStutzman ground solutions are gathering dust in the Senate as Harry Reid refuses to come to the table and talk. “The American people don’t expect Republicans and Democrats to agree on everything, but they do expect us to talk. It’s time for Senate Democrats to put aside their obstructionism and come to the table.”
Kruse hopes for consensus on Common Core INDIANAPOLIS — State Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, says he hopes a legislative committee studying Common Core standards can come to a consensus by the end of this month. The committee of six Republican and six Democratic legislators have conducted three meetings to decide whether to recommend using a national set of reading and math education standards.
The Indiana General Assembly formed the committee after it passed a bill “pausing” implementation of the standards, which were adopted by the State Board Kruse of Education in 2010. Kruse serves as co-chairman of the committee.
The committee met for the third time last week and considered a recommendation, but could not get at least seven members to agree on it, Kruse said. The recommendation would have proposed that Indiana have its own standards and tests and that no names be attached to student data, Kruse said. Standards and tests also would be collegeand career-ready, Kruse added. “As it turned out, we never
offered that recommendation, because we couldn’t get seven members (to agree),” Kruse said. Kruse said the committee has requested funding to conduct one more meeting by the end of this month with hopes of coming to a consensus with some rewording of the recommendation. “I hope that we can seven or more of the 12 to agree to the recommendation to say we want Indiana standards,” Kruse said.