Serving the Steuben County 101 lakes area since 1857
Fremont actors prepare for weekend production with ‘Strings Attached’
Weather Sunny skies today with a high near 47. Low tonight in the 30s. Page A6
Page A2 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2013
Angola, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Annual Friendship Dinner is Saturday ANGOLA — The First Congregational United Church of Christ, 314 W. Maumee St., will hold its annual Friendship Dinner Saturday from 5-7 p.m. The menu will include roasted turkey and pork, stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, pumpkin pie and chocolate sheet cake. Donations will be accepted. All are welcome.
Strip club attorneys spar Showgirl injunction decision not expected until after first of year BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com
SOUTH BEND — Attorneys for Fort Wayne strip club owner Alva Butler are hoping U.S. Federal District Court Judge Robert Miller rules the city of Angola tried to prevent Butler from exercising his First Amendment rights in opening a Showgirl club in Angola through
legislation. Attorneys for the city, on the other hand, claim that Butler had not taken the proper steps to open a strip club in the city before new ordinances governing sexually oriented businesses and where they can be located were approved by the Angola Common Council. A ruling is not expected from Miller until after the holidays.
That and other points were made during final arguments by attorneys battling the case. The hearing was on a motion for a preliminary injunction against the city that would effectively negate actions taken Sept. 17, 2012, and Nov. 19, 2012, to change the city’s laws on sexually oriented businesses. Butler bought the former
ANGOLA — Due to a lack of quorum for the regularly scheduled Nov. 13 meeting, the Steuben County Soil and Water Conservation District Board meeting has been moved to Nov. 20. The board will meet at the district office, 1220 N. C.R. 200W, at 7:15 p.m. An executive session is set at 7 p.m.
BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com
The Herald Republican 45 S. Public Square Angola, IN 46703 Phone: (260) 665-3117 Fax: (260) 665-2322 Classifieds: (toll free) (877) 791-7877 Circulation: (800) 717-4679
Index • Classified.............................................. B7-B8 Life.................................................................A3 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion .........................................................A5 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A6 TV/Comics ..................................................B6 Vol. 156 No. 314
SEE SHOWGIRL, PAGE A6
BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com
Angola Training Center holding open house Friday
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Slider’s Grill and Bar property at 310 W. Wendell Jacob Ave. in August 2012 with the intent of opening a Showgirl strip club. Butler is owner of Showgirl III in Fort Wayne. “The plaintiffs aren’t asking for the world here,” said attorney Matt Hoffer on behalf of Butler and his wife, Sandra, who have sued the
Sewer board takes up rate bill
SWCD meeting is slated for Nov. 20
ANGOLA — The City of Angola Training Center will continue to offer classes due to demand. The classes will be highlighted at an open house Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the center, 306 W. Mill St. Angola Mayor Dick Hickman is scheduled to make remarks at 11:15 a.m. The center is run by the Freedom Academy, based in Kendallville, offering workforce skills development. Freedom Academy has a month-to-month lease on the building with the city under a partnership. The city bought the building that was the site of the former Angola Lumber earlier this year. Anita Shepherd, Freedom Academy director of client services, said the partnership with the city is going well. “They’ve been a phenomenal partner. We continue to look for partners and expand into career training,” she said.
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kpcnews.com
PATRICK REDMOND
Rodger Howell adjusts the harnesses of his two white horses during a brief stop alongside the road in LaGrange County. Howell, along with
his dog, a border collie named Banjo, is making his way across the Indiana on his way home to Tennessee.
Horse-drawn journey an inspiration BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — In Vietnam, he was coated with Agent Orange. In Erin, Tenn., he was a police chief for 16 years. Then, Rodger Howell received a grim prognosis from his doctor — his heart is weak and may not take another serious illness or surgery. “My life expectancy is rather short,” said Howell, 62, sitting in a pie wagon purchased from an Amish man in Hudson, Mich., while his two horses rested at Papa Duck gas station on U.S. 20, just east of the LaGrange County line. His plans Wednesday were to proceed west on the highway and
find a place to camp in the early afternoon. A master ferrier, Howell traveled from Tennessee to Michigan, where he visited his children and grandchildren, in a horse-drawn wagon. He is returning to Tennessee the same way. It’s a leisurely trek that has allowed him to see more of the world than he would at 70 mph, he said. “I’ve met some of the greatest people this country could supply,” Howell said. And, he said, he feels better than he has for a long time. He served in the military and was a police officer for 24 years. He said those experiences left him with a not-so-good feeling about
Ritz bolts out of meeting INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A meeting that produced a new outline for grading Indiana schools turned chaotic Wednesday when the state’s top education official stormed out, escalating an already testy battle with Republican Gov. Mike Pence. Democratic Superintendent Glenda Ritz abruptly left the meeting of the state school board she chairs when a Pence appointee tried to transfer certain student assessment powers from her office to a second education department SEE RITZ, PAGE A6
humanity. This trip has changed things for him. Howell, who has a Facebook page, said other people have said he inspired them as well. People have followed him and posted notes wishing him safe travels. Howell plans to take S.R. 13 near Goshen on his route south. He camps where he can, and if an outlet is available, he has an electric heater to keep him warm while he sleeps in his covered wagon. The horses travel 25 to 45 miles a day, Howell said. After he returns to his home state, Howell expects to make a trip to Florida, again, in a wagon. “That’s the only way I’m going to travel from now on,” he said.
FLINT — The Steuben Lakes Regional Waste District Board is expected to approve an amended sewer use ordinance at tonight’s meeting. Last month, the board passed a sewer rate ordinance in conjunction with its 2014 budget. The rate ordinance does away with increases for Class 2 users that would have kicked in next year. That was made possible by the board paying off a bond issue early with $2.8 million in capital improvements funds. The sewer use ordinance has been under consideration for some time and is required by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for the district’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, said district superintendent Tim Frederick. “It provides guidance on how our sewers are supposed to be used,” he said. The ordinance had been more geared toward industrial customers, providing information on fines for mismanagement of sewer discharges. The updated ordinance includes more information about residential users. It sets fines for residential user violations at a state minimum set by IDEM a couple of years ago, said Frederick. A supplement to be considered along with the sewer use ordinance SEE WASTE DISTRICT, PAGE A6
Shaffer back in court Meth suspect was previously convicted in death of toddler BY PATRICK REDMOND predmond@kpcmedia.com
AP
Indiana School Superintendent Glenda Ritz answers a questions from the media following a state School Board meeting Wednesday in Indianapolis. Ritz abruptly adjourned the meeting when a Gov. Mike Pence appointee tried to transfer certain student assessment powers from her office to a second education department created by the governor earlier this year.
LAGRANGE — Christy T. Shaffer, a Topeka woman who served less than three months of a 10-year prison sentence for neglect involving the death of a toddler, returned to court Wednesday, Shaffer this time charged with two methamphetamine-related offenses. Shaffer, 35, was arrested Tuesday just outside of Topeka after she was implicated during
the Nov. 1 arrest of two men in Topeka charged with manufacturing methamphetamine. Shaffer allegedly called one of the men on his cellphone while police were conducting their investigation. A drug test administered by authorities on Shaffer a few days later turned up positive for methamphetamine. Shaffer was then picked up by police officers on Tuesday and charged with two class D felonies, maintaining a common nuisance and possession of methamphetamine. Both counts carry a minimum sentence of six months in jail and a maximum of three years. SEE SHAFFER, PAGE A6
Help us celebrate our 150th Anniversary Open House Friday, November 15th, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ~ Saturday, November 16th, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Celebrating 150 Years As Your Full-Service Jewelers 127 S. Main St., Kendallville • 260-347-0560
Honoring Our Past Anticipating Our Future
~ Meet our young and talented craftsmen who will take our full-service jewelry store into the next generation. ~ Preview our new, expanded selection of gift ideas ~ Tour our jewelry, watch and clock workshops ~ Learn about our history and the 5 generations of watchmaker jewelers who created this history
Santa will be here Friday from 4-6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.