Serving the Steuben County 101 lakes area since 1857
Trine grants Brooks contract extension as university president
Weather Chance of rain and snow. High of 46. Low tonight around 31 degrees. Page A6
Page A2
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2013
Angola, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Steuben youth trick, treat for needy Area youths will be trick-or-treating for canned goods for the local needy tonight in Angola, Fremont and Hamilton. Forever Improving Steuben Together — the youth arm of the Steuben County Community Foundation — is leading the effort. F.I.S.T. members from the three communities will go door to door from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with some assistance from other school-based youth groups. They will be collecting canned food items which will be split between Project Help of Steuben County and the Fremont Community Center, which both operate food banks.
Agency preps for the holidays BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — Interviews for the Toys for Tots program are Saturday at Project Help of Steuben County, 711 E. Harcourt Road. Families that attend the Toys for Tots interviews from noon to 6 p.m. in the community room may also apply for the Christmas Adoption Program Steuben, CAPS. Also that day, the Luke 3:11
Coat Bank at Mount Zion United Methodist Church, 3401 S. Golden Lake Road, will be open for its first of three distribution days. CAPS supports local under resourced families by matching them with people, businesses or groups, which “adopt” them for for Christmas. Those interested in being helped through the program must attend Saturday’s interviews at Project Help. Required information includes a picture identification and proof of address. A bill or bank
statement with one’s name on it will also be required if the address information and ID information do not match. A birth certificate for each child being assisted though Toys for Tots will be required along with proof of all household income and all household expenses. Project Help is the county’s food and clothing bank. It is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Details on its services and state and federal aid are
Lieutenant Governor Visits
Man charged in death of aunt MARION (AP) — A central Indiana man faces felony murder and other charges in connection with the disappearance of his aunt more in 2011. The Marion Chronicle-Tribune and WISH-TV report 49-year-old Donald Burns of Elwood also faces forgery, theft and receiving stolen property charges related to 74-year-old Dorothy Heard of Noblesville. A prosecutor charged Burns last week in Grant Circuit Court in Marion. Before she vanished on June 13, 2011, Heard left a note saying she and Burns were visiting Wabash. Police said Burns used Heard’s credit card the same day in Marion. The woman’s remains were found in February 2012 near Marion.
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Index • Classified.............................................. B7-B8 Life.................................................................A5 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion ........................................................B4 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A6 TV/Comics ..................................................B6 Vol. 156 No. 292
available by calling Jennifer LaRose at 665-9697. The coat bank at Mount Zion will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday in the church basement. New coats are purchased off season and church members refurbish donated outerwear. Also available will be new hats, scarves and gloves. Those who will be receiving coats need to be present for a fitting, organizers said. The coat bank will also hold distribution days on Nov. 2 and 16.
Angola part of permit program
Police dog bites boy during demonstration BRAZIL (AP) — A western Indiana police department’s search dog is off the job after biting an 11-year-old boy’s leg during a demonstration inside the county courthouse. Brazil police chief Clint McQueen says the boy suffered puncture wounds to his calf when the dog bit him during a mock drug search being done for elementary school students as part of a Red Ribbon Awareness week kick-off event at the Clay County Courthouse. McQueen tells WTHI-TV the dog responded to a sudden movement by the boy and released his bite within seconds after commands from his handler. McQueen says the dog won’t do police work until test results from a veterinarian are returned.
75 cents
kpcnews.com
BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com
CHAD KLINE
Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann, left, talks with Noble County Economic Development Corp. director Rick Sherck following a discussion with local industry an agricultrure businesses at B & J
Medical Inc., on U.S. 6 west of Kendallville as part of her Listen & Learn Tour of Indiana’s 92 counties Tuesday.
Lieutenant governor hears about need for more skilled workers BY DENNIS NARTKER dnartker@kpcmedia.com
KENDALLVILLE — “A sense of urgency” is how Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann described what she heard from local and area business leaders regarding their need for skilled workers. Ellspermann stopped at B & J Medical Inc., on U.S. 6 west of Kendallville, and the Noble County Courthouse in Albion Tuesday afternoon as part of her Listen & Learn Tour of Indiana’s 92 counties. At both sites, she listened to business leaders and elected officials to learn about the strengths, challenges and priorities of Noble County. She also visited LaGrange County Tuesday morning for a Listen & Learn session at Yoder Popcorn Co. in Topeka. LaGrange County and Noble County were the 70th and 71st counties on her six-month long tour.
Ellspermann said one topic of her conversation with business leaders was the need to develop a skilled work force. “Beginning in the high school learning skilled trades that can lead to jobs in manufacturing and agriculture is something I heard a lot,” she said after the session. “They have the jobs, but need people with the skills.” She said it was “eye-opening” for her how desperate local and area businesses are for skilled labor. In Topeka, Ellspermann said, she heard similar comments from LaGrange County business leaders and elected officials. “In agriculture, I heard there needs to be more amenities for young farmers in rural areas so they stay on the farms in the area,” she said. Asked what the state is doing to address the problem, Ellsper-
mann mentioned the Indiana Regional Works Council initiative announced by Gov. Mike Pence and signed into law in April. Each region will bring educators and employers together to evaluate and develop career and technical education that meets the demands of employers in that region. Each region is responsible for preparing a comprehensive report for the governor and the education round table by Nov. 1. State Rep. David Ober, R-Albion, attended both sessions. He supported the creation of the Indiana Regional Works Councils and the evaluation of available career, technical and vocational education opportunities for high school students in the area. Concerns at the government session included the loosening of controls on some funds so they can actually be used, and the
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Efforts to defeat an upcoming bid by Indiana lawmakers to add a gay marriage ban to the state constitution received a major boost Tuesday when the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce said it will oppose the ban. The Indianapolis chamber said its board of directors voted Tuesday to adopt a position to work with “other business, faith and community organizations to defeat (the ban) at the Statehouse and, if necessary, to participate
in any voter referendum on the issue.” “The Indy Chamber is in the business of strengthening our economy and attracting top talent to our region,” board Chairman John Thompson said in a statement. “The proposed marriage amendment does nothing to help show the nation that Indiana is a place that welcomes all, not just some, and we must be mindful of how actions such as this will impact our competitiveness on a national and global level.”
Nuclear flaw is exposed
While the Indianapolis Chamber represents only the central Indiana business community, it is one of several large business interests that have come out against the proposed constitutional ban, including the state’s largest companies, Columbus-based engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. and Indianapolis drug maker Eli Lilly and Co. The companies the Indianapolis Chamber are backing Freedom Indiana, a bipartisan coalition that is fighting the proposed ban. The statewide Indiana Chamber of Commerce has said it will remain neutral on the amendment. The Indianapolis Chamber
WASHINGTON (AP) — Twice this year alone, Air Force officers entrusted with the launch keys to nuclear-tipped missiles have been caught leaving open a blast door that is intended to help prevent a terrorist or other intruder from entering their underground command post, Air Force officials have told The Associated Press. The blast doors are never to be left open if one of the crew members inside is asleep — as was the case in both these instances — out of concern for the damage an intruder could cause, including the compromising of secret launch codes. Transgressions such as this are rarely revealed publicly. But officials with direct knowledge of Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile operations told the AP that such violations have happened, undetected, many more times than in the cases of the two launch crew commanders and two deputy commanders who were given administrative punishments this year. The blast door violations are another sign of serious trouble in the handling of the nation’s nuclear
SEE BATTLE, PAGE A6
SEE NUCLEAR, PAGE A6
SEE VISIT, PAGE A6
Indy chamber joins gay fight Indiana Chamber remains neutral on same-sex marriage amendment
ANGOLA — Angola will sign an agreement to participate in the Permitting Excellence Certification Program. Vivian Likes, Angola plan director, informed the Common Council about the agreement at Monday’s regular meeting. Angola pays a one-time $3,000 membership fee to be one of nine jurisdictions to be a part of the program through the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. The certification informs potential customers that participating jurisdictions — which will soon include Angola — are development ready. “The mayor is signing the agreement,” said Likes. “We’re making sure we’re sending the same message saying we’re shovel ready and development ready. We’re communicating the best practices.” Once the agreement is reached, Angola will place information about the certification on the city’s website. Likes said it will be a resourceful tool for the city. “I’m happy to be a part of this group. I’ve been working with them 10 years and it’s nice to be on board,” she said.