12/13/12 by I-75 Newspaper Group

Thursday

December 13, 2012 It’s Where You Live! Volume 104, No. 291

INSIDE

LOCAL

SPORTS

Terry Fator offers insight into his world of entertainment

Tipp cruises to victory over Ben Logan

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PAGE 15

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Committee endorses rezoning Would change two lots from industrial to business usage BY NATALIE KNOTH Staff Writer nknoth@tdnpublishing.com

Sitar virtuoso Shankar dies The kids at first didn’t seem to know how to respond as Ravi Shankar began his four-hour set on the final afternoon of the Monterey Pop Festival, in the fabled summer of 1967. As captured in D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary, some nodded along and smiled; Jimi Hendrix listened carefully. Others dozed, or chatted. A few hippies danced wildly, as if they couldn’t tell or didn’t care about the difference between Shankar’s raga and a Jefferson Airplane jam. But as the performance accelerated from isolated strains to a pace that could exhaust the speediest rock star, eyes opened, minds expanded and Shankar and his fellow musicians left to a long standing ovation. See Page 6.

The rezoning of two adjacent Troy Historic District lots from light industrial district to central business district was approved by the law and ordinance meeting Wednesday. Legislation will have a

third and final reading by city council on Monday. The property at 110 E. Canal St. is currently used for office space, which is a non-permissible use under the current zoning. After 2009, the revised zoning code did not allow for office and retail uses in the light industrial district. However, office space is a conform-

TROY ing use under the proposed business rezoning. The applicant of the rezoning is Steve E. Thomas, owner of SET Land Group LLC. The city received no feedback to required notices sent to nearby residents, said city administrator

Sue Knight. City council hosted a public hearing last week, but no comments for or against the rezoning were made. Planning commission opted not to hold a hearing, recognizing that council would be doing so, Knight added.

• See REZONING on Page 2

WEST MILTON

M-U levy officially failed Recount shows loss by 14 votes Staff Report

Dems offer disaster aid package Senate Democrats on Wednesday finished cobbling together a $60.4 billion disaster aid package for New York, New Jersey and other states hit by Superstorm Sandy in late October. Working from the emergency spending request President Barack Obama made five days ago, the Senate Appropriations Committee released its draft of the legislation. While the proposal calls for $60.4 billion, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that only about $9 billion in Obama’s request would be spent over the next nine months. An additional $12 billion would be spent the following year. See Page 9.

Amish Cook offers recipe Here is a recipe for you readers who are onion lovers. My onions didn’t do so well so I am already out of them and having to buy them.

See Page 4.

INSIDE TODAY Advice ............................7 Calendar.........................3 Classified......................10 Comics ...........................8 Deaths............................6 Elizabeth Hirt Georgia Dix Horoscopes ....................8 Opinion...........................5 Sports...........................13 TV...................................7

OUTLOOK Today Sunny, cool High: 46° Low: 24°

STAFF PHOTO/ANTHONY WEBER

Forest Elementary School 4th and 5th grades and some 3rd grade Girl Scouts from Troop 30681 along with business partner employees from US Bank sang Christmas carols through the halls of SpringMeade Retirement Community Tuesday evening.

Spreading Christmas Cheer Forest Elementary students sing SpringMeade residents BY MELANIE YINGST Staff Writer myingst@tdnpublishing.com Forest Elementary students brought “good tidings” and good oldfashion Christmas cheer to the residents of SpringMeade Healthcenter Tuesday. An annual tradition for the school spanning more than two decades, students “went a-wassailing” up and down the halls of the assisted living society along with the school’s business partners at U.S. Bank. Fifth grader Juli Halton said earning the privilege to attend the annual Christmas Caroling outing

Hillis said she enjoyed the music and even joined in singing songs with the Forest students as they sang with her and her friends. “This is just great,” Hillis said. “I think it’s great when young people TIPP CITY would rather sing to us here than be out and about. We sang along with was worth the smiles she saw on the them and that was very nice.” Hillis’ friend and fellow resident residents’ faces. “It’s really fun and Nonie Meyer also enjoyed the stuwe get to spread a lot of happiness dents Christmas spirit. to other people,” Halton said. “I think they are wonderful,” Students were adorned with yuletide gear including Santa hats, Meyer said. “To hear people like them and they come here and want reindeer ears and silver bells. Carly Pfeiffer, a fifth grader, said to do it is just great.” Forest Elementary Principal Alan she liked getting dressed up and Zunke said the annual trek to sing singing Christmas classics. “We’ve been practicing a lot in music class,” to nursing home residents is a wonPfeiffer said. “I love to do things like derful way to share the holiday spirit with the community and spend this because it gives kids a chance time with the school’s business to interact with our elders and spread some joy.” • See CHEER on Page 2 SpringMeade resident Frances

Almost a month and a half after the official election, the Miami County Board of Elections determined the Milton-Union School District renewal levy still did not pass. It is the board of election’s common procedure to do a recount if the difference between the support and opposition votes being less than half a percent. The board announced this week that after the recount, the election results stayed the same. The five-year, 10.9 mil renewal failed by 14 votes: 2,496, or 50.14 percent against, and 2,482 votes, or 49.86 percent, in favor of the levy. The levy was intended to go into the school’s general operating fund and has been used for operating expenses, salaries, benefites, maintenance and taxation. The levy first passed in 2002, and renewed in 2007 with 56 percent of votes. If it had passed in November, no additional taxes were to be raised. According to a statement released by school officials, the district is moving forward with placing the same renewal levy on the May 7 ballot. They stress it is not a tax increase, but a renewal, and is not used to pay for the new school building. At the last team management meeting, Treasurer Chuck Klein

• See LEVY on Page 2

W.M. Council closes year by passing resolutions BY JOHN BADEN For the Troy Daily News editorial@tdnpublishing.com

The West Milton Village Council closed out 2012 by passing two resFriday olutions and two ordinances, which Sunny, mild solidified its budget appropriations High: 50° for 2013 and amended the city’s Low: 28° income tax code. At its meeting last month, the Complete weather council had the first reading of the information on Page 9. amendments, which would make Vandalia the collector of its income Home Delivery: tax, moving the collection date 335-5634 from April 30 up to April 15. Classified Advertising: Retirees with no source of (877) 844-8385 income will only have to file once, operating losses won’t be carried over and landlords will be required to submit an updated list of their renters before Oct. 31 of each year. 6 74825 22406 6

WEST MILTON Municipal manager Matt Kline said that residents also can expect to receive postcards in the mail by Dec. 22 informing them that in January, Vandalia will be taking over the collection of the village’s income tax, which was previously collected by Hamilton. The village is changing collection cities because Vandalia will provide the service for less costs (3 percent of collections versus 5 percent), according to Kline. He added that the proximity of the city to West Milton is much more convenient for Milton’s residents and businesses. A resolution was also passed, giving full-time employees in West

Milton a 1.5 percent increase in their wages, starting in the first pay period of 2013. Contract renewal Kline will be sticking around in West Milton. After hiring Kline in December 2011, the city council unanimously passed a resolution that permanently renewed Kline’s contract, which started in December 2011, at an annual salary of $67,750. The contract includes an option for a salary increase in 2014. Board member Ora Ashley complimented Kline on his hard work and said that not one person working under Kline has had any complaints. “We’ve been very lucky to have our new manager for the year, and I’m very proud of what he’s done,”

Ashley said. Kline thanked the council for its support and went onto say how much working in the city has meant to him. “This has been without a doubt the best year professionally I’ve ever had in my life, and I look for many many more years to serve with you and the community,” Kline said.

Rotary club honor Kline announced that the West Milton Rotary Club has named Ben Herron, supervisor of Streets and Grounds, a Honorary Rotarian for exemplifying its motto, which is “service above self.” According to Kline, Herron is

• See COUNCIL on Page 2

For Home Delivery, call 335-5634 • For Classified Advertising, call (877) 844-8385

LOCAL & WORLD

Thursday, December 13, 2012

LOTTERY

TROY DAILY NEWS • WWW.TDN-NET.COM

Official: Syria fires missiles at rebels

CLEVELAND (AP) — Here are the winning numbers drawn Wednsday by the Ohio Lottery: • Pick 3 Midday: 6-7-9 • Pick 4 Midday: 9-7-7-7 • Pick 5 Midday: 8-2-1-9-3 • Pick 4 Evening: 2-1-6-6 • Pick 5 Evening: 6-9-5-9-5 • Rolling Cash 5: 12-20-23-24-28 Estimated jackpot: $353,000 • Classic Lotto: 11-12-34-45-46-48, Kicker: 7-1-4-1-7-9 • Pick 3 Evening: 2-5-7

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Syrian government forces have fired Scud missiles at insurgents in recent days, escalating the 2-year-old conflict against rebels seeking to overthrow the regime, U.S. officials said Wednesday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, two officials said forces of President Bashar Assad have fired the missiles from the Damascus area into northern Syria. These officials asked not to be named because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly. News of the missiles came on the same day that more than 100 countries, including the United States, recognized a new Syrian opposition coalition. That has further isolated Assad’s regime and opened a way for greater humanitarian assistance to the forces battling to oust him. One official said there was no indication that chemical weapons were aboard the missiles. Officials have said over the past week that they feared rebel advances were prompting Assad to consider using chemical weapons. This official estimated that the number of Scuds fired was more than a half dozen, confirming details

BUSINESS ROUNDUP • The Troy Elevator The grain prices listed below are the closing prices of Wednesday. Corn Month Bid Change Dec 7.6150 - 0.0625 J/F/M 13 7.7150 - 0.0625 NC 13 6.0350 - 0.0200 Soybeans Month Bid Change Dec 14.7600 + 0.1200 J/F/M 13 14.7600 + 0.1200 NC 13 12.6500 + 0.0275 Wheat Month Bid Change Dec 8.2100 + 0.0200 NC 13 8.4800 + 0.0325 You can find more information online at www.troyelevator.com.

Syrian men use sledgehammers to break the concrete of a residential building destroyed in a government airstrike, while searching for belongings under the rubble, in Maaret Misreen, near Idlib, Syria, Wednesday. first reported by The New York Times. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Assad has fired missiles, but wouldn’t specify what kind. “As the regime becomes more and more desperate, we see it resorting to increased lethality and more vicious weapons moving forward and we

have in recent days seen missiles deployed,” she said. White House press secretary Jay Carney, speaking to reporters, said he could not confirm the report, but said if true it would be a sign of desperation. “The idea that the Syrian regime would launch missiles, within its

Accused robber’s bond set at $250K

• Stocks of local interest Values reflect closing prices from Wednesday. Symbol Price Change AA 8.65 -0.03 30.28 +0.57 CAG CSCO 19.73 -0.05 EMR 51.62 +0.10 F 11.47 -0.02 14.62 +0.09 FITB FLS 141.87 -1.05 GM 25.63 +0.18 62.11 +0.25 ITW JCP 19.45 +0.22 KMB 85.50 -0.28 KO 37.64 -0.22 KR 26.59 -0.01 LLTC 34.46 +0.04 MCD 89.31 -0.31 MSFG 12.01 -0.13 PEP 70.24 -0.18 SYX 9.79 -0.04 TUP 66.56 +0.18 USB 31.87 -0.10 VZ 44.79 +0.35 WEN 4.72 -0.02 WMT 68.94 -1.95

BY WILL E SANDERS Ohio Community Media wsanders@dailycall.com

— Staff and wire reports

With a prepared note stowed in a pocket, the Piqua man who allegedly committed a brazen daylight bank robbery two blocks away from the police department on Tuesday afternoon patiently waited in a bank line before handing a teller a note, police said. The suspect, Eric W. Smith, 32, of Piqua, appeared on a closed-circuit television for his arraignment in Miami County Municipal Court on Wednesday morning after authorities took the man into custody seven

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hours after the bank robbery in Huber Heights after holing himself up in a motel room. Smith, charged with aggravated robbery, remains held behind bars at the Miami County Jail on a $250,000 bond. A Dec. 12 preliminary hearing is scheduled. Police say Smith walked into the MainSource Bank, 126 W. High St., just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, waited in line, handed a teller a note, claimed to be armed and fled the bank on foot with “a couple thousand dollars.” According to police, the handwritten note stated he had a gun and “wanted all of the money.” While an immediate manhunt failed to locate Smith, seven hours later police gained knowledge he was staying at America’s Best Value Inn in Huber Heights with an unidentified female, who was subsequently taken into police custody for questioning. A tip from a citizen led authorities to the motel where Smith and the female surrendered to police. Police searched the

As far as we know he did not possess a firearm. — Piqua Police Chief Bruce Jamison

”

motel room and a home at 326 Caldwell St. where Smith resided, which is where authorities recovered clothing Smith allegedly wore during the heist. A gun wasn’t recovered. “As far as we know he did not possess a firearm,” said Piqua Police Chief Bruce Jamison. No injuries were reported. The location of the bank was the scene of a bank robbery in Sept. 24, 2004, when it was the People’s Savings Bank. Jeremy Turner, then 28, of Piqua, was later convicted of aggravated robbery and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

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said additional community outreach for May could include using social media or having a question-andanswer session at a local restaurant. If the residents vote yes

in 2013, the school will not miss any tax collections. The levy accounts for about $1,700,000, or 13.7 percent, of the general fund. It also amounts to 30 percent of the school’s property tax revenue, according to Klein.

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• CONTINUED FROM 1 Committee members discussed rezoning the rest of the lot between Canal and Race streets at Wednesday’s meeting, but not all property owners approved. In late October, Troy Planning Commission gave their OK to the rezoning after concluding that it would be consistent with the surrounding area and the current and proposed uses. In addition, the rezoning would maximize the usage of older industrial properties and “prevent more intense uses from

entering an area surrounded by both residential and business uses,” according to a memo from planning commission to Troy City Council President Marty Baker. Few industrial parcels reside in the city’s historic district anymore, and furthermore, the current building cannot adequately meet industrial needs as it did in the past. Planning and zoning manager Tim Davis said he could not speak of the potential increase in real estate value should the rezoning be approved next week.

Cheer Tibbitts said. “Some are far away from their families so this is really good partners US Bank. “These kids work hard for them.” “I think the people to be able to come do this here really enjoy it,” and it’s something they Francis said. “They like to look forward to all year,” see us and we like to just Zunke said. “It’s just a small way to give back to meet people we’ve never met before as we sing.” the community.” “It’s cool to see them Adam Tibbitts and sing along,” said 11 yearMitchell Francis, both fifth grade students, said old Madison Kelly. “We’re able to make them happy they enjoyed the experience last year and wanted by just singing simple songs.” to return to sing to resiFor more information dents again. about Forest Elementary “I think it’s really School, visit touching to see all them www.troy.k12.oh.us. smile and have fun,”

• CONTINUED FROM 1

Council • CONTINUED FROM 1 only the second person to receive this title in the club’s 63 year history. “It was a complete surprise,” Herron said about finding out after Kline took him and Herron’s wife to dinner at the Rotary. In other business, it was noted that the municipality building will be closed on Dec. 24, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 for the Christmas and New Year’s holiday. There will be no workshop later this month.

On Jan. 31, the regular workshop will be the council’s joint meeting with the Milton-Union School Board of Education and Union Township Trustees in the municipality building. The Community Pride Award nominations also will be revealed to council later this week with votes by council members expected to be turned in the following week. The winners will be notified Dec. 21 and officially recognized at the council’s meeting in early January.

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whenever there is an important decision that is anti-Assad taken by the international community, the Assad regime escalates the degree of violence to show its degree of displeasure,” said Murhaf Jouejati, a specialist on Syrian affairs at the National Defense University. “Like saying, ‘Oh, yeah? I’ll show you!’”

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TROY DAILY NEWS â&#x20AC;˘ WWW.TROYDAILYNEWS.COM

FYI

ue to discuss school finances and a possible levy in May 2013. â&#x20AC;˘ CHICKEN DINNER: The Sons of the AMVETS will offer a chicken dinner with fries, slaw and roll from 5:30-8 p.m. for $8.00 at AMVETS Post No. 88, 3449 Lefevre Road, Troy. â&#x20AC;˘ FEEDERWATCH: Project Feederwatch will be offered from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Aullwood, 1000 Aullwood Road, Dayton. Count birds, drink coffee, eat doughnuts, share stories and count more birds. The bird count contributes to scientific studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Check out the Cornell web site at www.bird.cornell.edu/pfw for more information.

â&#x20AC;˘ BIRD COUNT: Join the Brukner Nature Center Bird Club for its Community annual survey of birds Calendar found at BNC beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Interpretive Building. CONTACT US Participants will then head back to the center for a hot lunch, and are Call Melody asked to bring a dish to share. Soup and coffee Vallieu at will be provided. Register 440-5265 to by calling (937) 698list your free 6493, in case the event calendar has to be postponed items.You because of inclement weather. can send â&#x20AC;˘ HOLIDAY CRAFTS your news by e-mail to FOR PRESCHOOLERS: vallieu@tdnpublishing.com. Preschool-age children accompanied by an adult are invited to come by the Troy-Miami County SATURDAY Public Library anytime between 10 a.m. and noon to create something wonderful. No registration is necessary. â&#x20AC;˘ PORK CHOPS: The Pleasant Hill â&#x20AC;˘ OPEN HOUSE: The Tipp City Public VFW Post No. 6557, 7578 W. Fenner Libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open house, from 6-8 p.m., will Road, Ludlow Falls, will offer a marinated honor the 20th anniversary of the pork chop (non-marinated pork chops Friends of the Library and will showcase available upon request) dinner with renovations of the libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main floor baked potato and green bean casserole completed this fall. for $9 from 5-7 p.m. â&#x20AC;˘ DISCOVERY WALK: A morning disâ&#x20AC;˘ NIGHT HIKE: A forest night hike at 7 covery walk for adults will be from 8-9:30 p.m. at Brukner Nature Center will offer a.m. at Aullwood Audubon Center, 1000 participants a chance to find these tracks Aullwood Road, Dayton. Tom Hissong, and distinguish what kinds of animals education coordinator, will lead walkers are around and what kind of habitat they as they experience the wonderful seaare living in. A public star gaze â&#x20AC;&#x201D; free sonal changes taking place. Bring binoc- and open to the public â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with the ulars. Stillwater Stargazers will follow at 8 p.m. â&#x20AC;˘ FEEDERWATCH: Project kn the parking lot. Members will have Feederwatch will be offered from 9:30their telescopes set up and will be able 11:30 a.m. at Aullwood, 1000 Aullwood to answer questions. Road, Dayton. Count birds, drink coffee, â&#x20AC;˘ BLOOD DRIVE: A blood drive will be eat doughnuts, share stories and count from 9 a.m. to noon at the Ludlow Falls more birds. The bird count contributes to Christian Church, 213 Vine St., Ludlow scientific studies at the Cornell Lab of Falls. Those who register will receive a Ornithology. Check out the Cornell web free â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blood Donor â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Saves Livesâ&#x20AC;? knit site at www.bird.cornell.edu/pfw for more scarf in scarlet and grey. Individuals with information. eligibility questions are invited to email â&#x20AC;˘ FAMILY PARTY: The Tipp City Public canidonate@cbccts.org or call (800) Library will offer its annual family 388-GIVE. Make an appointment at Christmas party from 6:30-8 p.m. There www.DonorTime.com. will be holiday stories, a visit with Santa â&#x20AC;˘ KARAOKE NIGHT: The Tipp City and families can share in making an American Legion, North Third Street, will ornament. Children must be accompaoffer Papa Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pony Express Karaoke nied by an adult. Registration is required from 7 p.m. to close. The event is free. by calling (937) 667-3826. â&#x20AC;˘ CANDLE DIPPING: Aullwood will â&#x20AC;˘ SPECIAL MEETING: The Tipp City offer red and blue colored candle dipping Exempted Village Board of Education beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the farm, 9101 has scheduled a special meeting at 7 Frederick Pike, Dayton. Admission is $4 a.m. at the board of education office, 90 for adults ad $2 for children, plus $1 for S. Tippecanoe Drive, Tipp City. The pureach candle made. Call (937) 890-7360 pose of the meeting is a continued disfor more information. cussion of school finances and possible levy in May 2013. SUNDAY â&#x20AC;˘ PORK CHOPS: American Legion Post No. 43, 622 S. Market St., will offer â&#x20AC;˘ BREAKFAST SERVED: Breakfast a baked pork chop dinner from 5-7:30 will be offered at the Pleasant Hill VFW p.m. The dinner will include the baked Post No. 6557, 7578 W. Fenner Road, pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy Ludlow Falls, from 8- 11 a.m. All breakand green beans or corn. The meal will fasts are made-to-order and everything be $8. is a la carte. â&#x20AC;˘ OPEN HOUSE: A holiday open house â&#x20AC;˘ VIEW FROM THE VISTA: Brukner will be offered from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Nature Center staff and volunteers will Caldwell House, 2900 Corporate Drive, collect data for Project FeederWatch, an Troy. The event will include a visit from international citizen science project Santa, holiday music, hot chocolate, holi- under the guidance of Cornell Lab of day pictures and more. Ornithology, from 2-4 p.m. All levels of

â&#x20AC;˘ FRIDAY DINNER: The Covington VFW Post No. 4235, 173 N. High St., Covington, will offer dinner from 5-8 p.m. For more information, call 753-1108. â&#x20AC;˘ POT PIE: The Pleasant Hill VFW Post No. 6557, 7578 W. Fenner Road will offer chicken pot pie with mashed potatoes and a side from 6-7:30 p.m. for $7. â&#x20AC;˘ BENEFIT EVENT: The Tipp City American Legion Post No. 586, 377 North 3rd St., Tipp City, will host a benefit for a longtime active member of the ladies auxiliary, Susan Shivler, who is battling breast cancer. The event will include a dinner, raffles, auction and a baked goods sale. All proceeds will go to Susan. The menu for dinner will be baked spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and dessert. The events begin at 5 p.m. and the cost will be $7 in advance and $8 at the door. â&#x20AC;˘ EMPTY BOWLS: Artists Against Hunger will offer a free Empty Bowls event, where participants, for a suggested donation of $10, can purchase a ceramic bowl, made by local students and artists, and fill it with donated soup and also enjoy pizza, breads, sandwiches, cheese, desserts and beverages at no additional cost. The events will be from 5-8 p.m. at Zâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grill and Banquet, Piqua, and there is no obligation to buy a bowl. The meals are free. One hundred percent of the proceeds will stay in Miami County to support programs that help fight childhood hunger. Interested parties may go online at http://artistsagainsthunger.weebly.com or may contact Steven Kiefer at (937) 216-6759 for more information. â&#x20AC;˘ SPECIAL MEETING: The Tipp City Exempted Village Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting at 7 a.m. at the board of education Office, 90 S. Tippecanoe Drive, Tipp City, to contin-

Entertainer Terry Fator offers a bit of insight into his world prior to his show in Troy BY JIM DAVIS Staff Writer davis@tdnpublishing.com

Las Vegas entertainer Terry Fator recently spoke with the Troy Daily News in anticipation of his upcoming performance Friday at Troyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hobart Arena. His 8 p.m. show is co-sponsored by the I-75 Newspaper Group and Hobart Arena. The following is a sampling of topics touched on by the multi-talented ventriloquist, singer and author. Q: You said you had your eye on performing in Las Vegas long before you landed your multi-year engagement at The Mirage. Now that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re there â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and have had one of the stripâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful shows the past few years â&#x20AC;&#x201D; what keeps you on the cutting edge of the entertainment world? A: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always wanted to play Vegas, but I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to get trapped in a black hole of being a Vegas performer. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I am continuously traveling. I just want to make sure I continue to expand and do new things. We have tons of other things on the horizon, like weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working on an album â&#x20AC;Ś and we have a DVD coming out in the spring. The last one came out four years ago and I refused to release another one until I felt like it was ready and that it was going to be the best product. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what my show is all about â&#x20AC;&#x201D; giving people their moneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I work very hard to make sure people go away saying â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wow, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best show Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen in my life,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what people are going to get when they come out to the show.â&#x20AC;? Q: You recently signed a second long-term deal to continue entertaining fans at The Mirage. That has to be exciting? A: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just been phenomenal. My head is still kind of spinning a bit. But I keep myself writing and working. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have time birders are invited to participate in the to think about it. My goal program. Get all the information you is on that audience. We need to be a FeederWatcher in your have 1,300 people that own backyard, too. come out to each show (at â&#x20AC;˘ LIVE NATIVITY: A free live Nativity The Mirage) and my focus scene and birthday party of Jesus will is on them. When I come to be from 6-8 p.m. at the former Tommy Troy, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be all Lewis Park, one block south of the mon- about Troy.â&#x20AC;? ument on the east side just past Hill Q: You were 42 and had Street. Children will be able to pet the been working for years animals. After a visit at the Nativity, par- doing county fairs, corpoticipants can go one block west of the rate events and small venbirthday party for Jesus at The Brethren in Christ Church, 101 W. Hill St. There will be hot chocolate, cake, ice cream, for games and crafts. the â&#x20AC;˘ BREAKFAST SET: The American Legion Auxiliary, 377 N. 3rd St., Tipp City, will present an all-you-can-eat Massage $40 breakfast from 8-11 a.m. Items available will be eggs, bacon, sausage, sausage Reflexology $20 gravy, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, NOW thru Dec. 24th french toast, hash browns, toast, cinnaGift Certificates mon rolls, fruit and juices. Meals will be Inner Balance $6. Massage Therapy â&#x20AC;˘ CANDLE DIPPING: Aullwood will 1100 Wayne St., Ste. 1307 â&#x20AC;˘ (937) 339-1971 offer red and blue colored candle dipping beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the farm, 9101 Frederick Pike, Dayton. Admission is $4 for adults ad $2 for children, plus $1 for each candle made. Call (937) 890-7360 for more information.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Multi-talented entertainer Terry Fator â&#x20AC;&#x201D; shown here with Wrex the Safety Expert â&#x20AC;&#x201D; will return to Troy for an 8 p.m. performance Friday at Troyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hobart Arena.

TROY ues when your Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent win put you in the national spotlight. Does the fact that you had to struggle for years to get to where you are now make your current success that much sweeter? A: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have heard people say that (it happened overnight), and I always correct them. It looks like it was overnight, but I promise you I worked for it. I was 42 when I went on (Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent). When I was 11, I wanted to be a professional ventriloquist, and when I was 14 I made the commitment to be the best. I worked hard. I put my money where my mouth was. I worked tens of thousands of hours before that lucky break happened.â&#x20AC;? Q: You have a large cast of â&#x20AC;&#x153;co-starsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that share the stage with you. Do you have a favorite puppet? A: â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are two that are my favorites. Walter T. Airdale is my first professional puppet. My mom had saved her money for three years, and for my 18th birthday she gave me Walter. It took me several years to get his character down, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been with me ever since. My other favorite would be Winston the Impersonating Turtle. He clearly won Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent. He knows it and even mentions it in the show.â&#x20AC;?

Q: Considering the fact that you do such a wide range of characters and voices in your show, does that ever have a negative impact on your vocal chords? A: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It does occasionally affect my voice. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m like anybody else. But if I do get sick, sometimes I have to take a few days off. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather take a few days off and be able to continue my career for another 10 years. The main thing about Vegas is, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very dry here, so I have 40 percent humidity in my house. I keep a professional humidifier in my house, so anywhere I go in my house, I have 40 percent humidity so my throat doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dry out.â&#x20AC;? Q: What keeps you motivated to continue entertaining audiences around the world? A: â&#x20AC;&#x153;My family, without a doubt. I have a gorgeous, incredible wife (Taylor Makakoa). She is my assistant and we travel together. We havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spent a night apart since we started dating seriously, and that makes it all worth it. I was so lonely when I was on the road â&#x20AC;Ś and now I have my soul mate to share it with.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;˘ To obtain tickets for Fridayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show, call the Hobart Arena box office at 339-2911 or visit the arena website at www.hobartarena.com. â&#x20AC;˘ To learn more about Terry Fator, go to www.terryfator.com.

True Vine Church has been selected to participate in the Piqua ArtWalk on December 14th from 4pm-7pm Come in & check out Eric Timm's paintings, our beautiful building and enjoy the sights & sounds of the Christmas season. We hope to see you there! 531 W. Ash Street, Piqua (937) 606-2063 2349178

facebook.com/true.v.church

Just in time

Holidays!

2345511

FRIDAY

Straight from the ventriloquistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mouth

MONDAY-TUESDAY â&#x20AC;˘ TCT AUDITIONS: Troy Civic Theatre will have auditions for the cast of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boeing Boeingâ&#x20AC;? at 7 p.m. at the Barn in the Park on Adams Street across from Hobart Arena.â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boeing Boeing.â&#x20AC;? is a comedy romp by Marc Camoletti adapted by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans. The director, Rebecca Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien is looking for two men and four women. Those planning to audition need to be at least 18 years of age. Auditions will be cold read only. The performance dates are March 1-3 and 8-9.

Entered at the post office in Troy, Ohio 45373 as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Periodical,â&#x20AC;? postage paid at Troy, Ohio. The Troy Daily News is published Monday-Friday afternoons, and Saturday morning; and Sunday morning as the Miami Valley Sunday News, 224 S. Market St., Troy, OH. USPS 642-080. Postmaster, please send changes to: 224 S. Market St., Troy, OH 45373.

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2346902

TODAY

FOOD

TROY DAILY NEWS â&#x20AC;˘ WWW.TROYDAILYNEWS.COM

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Onion rings always a delicious treat Another week has already passed and it is time to write the column again. We have also entered the last month of 2012. Where does time go so fast? I keep thinking next week will be less busy and before I know it the week has passed. Daughter Verena had her 15th birthday on Dec. 10. How can she be that old already? It only seems short years ago that she was a baby. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never forget the day Verena was born. I woke up at 2:30 a.m. and woke up my husband Joe. I told him that I thought he would have to go wake the neighbors and ask to use their phone. The midwife, Sylvia, which was Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aunt, didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a phone, so a driver would have to be called to go pick her up. Joe wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t in too much of a hurry as our first two children didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come very fast. He said he would just wait until he saw lights on at our English (nonAmish) neighbors, which was usually around 4:30 a.m. He then went over and called a driver to go get Sylvia and by the time she came it was after 5. Joe took the same driver to take our daughters Elizabeth and Susan over to my parents and bring my mother back with him.

THE AMISH COOK

Lovina Eicher Troy Daily News Guest Columnist Mother was always a comfort to have during these times. Mother came prepared to stay all day. By the time Joe was back with my mother, it was almost 6 a.m. Mother decided to make breakfast for everyone. Meanwhile, Joe wanted to go out and milk our cows and do the chores since he still thought we had plenty of time before the babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arrival. But before anyone could get started on anything, Verena was ready to be born. She arrived at 6:32 a.m. and we were blessed with another precious, healthy daughter. We were all surprised that things went so fast. Sylvia was not quite finished at our house when the driver came for her as she was needed by one of Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cousins. If I remember right, Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cousin had her baby an hour after Verena. Verena was always full of energy and getting

laundry on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I am glad we have a place to hang it inside and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have cold hands hanging it outside. We used to hang our clothes outside all winter to let our clothing freeze dry. It was a cold job putting it out and getting it in. Our church wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the Christmas potluck until Dec. 30 this year, so that makes it a little less hectic before Christmas. Here is a recipe for you readers who are onion lovers. My onions didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do so well so I am already out of them and having to buy them. ONION RINGS 2 good sized onions 1 egg, slightly beaten 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup flour 1/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons vegetable oil SHNS PHOTO Peel and slice onions. Onion rings make a delicious holiday treat. Slice fairly thick at least 1/4 inch thick. Separate rings cords on her right foot, a cussion spell she will not into everything at 6 symptom of her muscular and use only the larger remember. She has months. She would crawl ones. Refrigerate until ready learned to cope with it and dystrophy. She is doing from one end of the room well and is an eighth grad- to use. Beat egg. Add rest to the other before I knew over time it seems to be of ingredients and mix well. er at school. getting better. We pray it. In a large saucepan heat oil Yesterday we did the She has been through a someday they will leave completely and are thank- laundry and hung it on the or shortening. Fill pan at lot in her 15 years. At least half full. ful how she has healed so lines in the basement. It times she still does get When oil is hot enough seems during the winter far. post-concussion episodes, dip onion rings into batter months we always have She also seems to be but it usually only affects laundry hanging in the doing well after her surher memory. Whatever and cook until golden brown basement. We usually do happens during a post-con- gery to lengthen her heel on both sides.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re celebrating the miracle of His birth with special services. Visitors are welcome. Service times are as follows: BELIEVE

Traditional Christmas Eve Services 7:30 pm & 11:00 pm

Candlelight Holy Communion Carols

One family. One journey. One child who would change the world forever.

Staffed Nursery 7:30 pm Service Only Pre-Service Music 7:00 pm & 10:30 pm

First Lutheran Church

2899 W. Main St., Troy â&#x20AC;˘ 937-335-2323 www.flctroy.com

Christmas Eve Service at 7 pm

(Nursery Provided)

Pastor - Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner

St. John's United Church of Christ 130 S. Walnut, Troy, Ohio 45373

937-335-2028

53 S. Norwich Rd., Troy, Ohio

Discover Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gift To You Sunday Morning Worship 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. December 23 The Greatest Gift of All Dececmber 24 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6:00 p.m. The Greatest Gift of All Christmas Eve Candle Light Worship

www.stjohnsucctroyohio.org

( L F K 3 P 2 E F P ! E O F P Q J> P # S B > P TB @ B I B ? O > Q B Q E B ? F O Q E L C L R O * L O A

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2 O L V $ F O P Q 3 +! 5 $ O > K H I F K 1 Q 2 O L V -& TTT Q O L V C R J@ L O D

2348792

OPINION

Contact us David Fong is the executive editor of the Troy Daily News. You can reach him at 440-5228 or send him e-mail at fong@tdn publishing.com.

XXXday, 2010 Thursday, December 13,XX, 2012 •5

TROY DAILY NEWS • WWW.TROYDAILYNEWS.COM

In Our View Troy Daily News Editorial Board FRANK BEESON / Group Publisher DAVID FONG / Executive Editor

ONLINE POLL

(WWW.TROYDAILYNEWS.COM)

Question: Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Watch for final poll results in

Sunday’s Miami Valley Sunday News. Watch for a new poll question

in Sunday’s Miami Valley Sunday News.

PERSPECTIVE

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” — First Amendment, U.S. Constitution

EDITORIAL ROUNDUP Harrison (Ark.) Daily Times on a U.S. Secretary of State for president: What do John Jay, Edmund Randolph, Levi Lincoln Sr., Daniel Webster and Frederick T. Frelinghuysen have in common? They all were called to serve as U.S. Secretary of State, and it was a dead-end job for all of them. But future advancement may not have mattered to them, since we’re not sure the job was too intense back then. If you remember, the United States followed a policy of isolationism for many years in its infancy. But the lack of job advancement brings us to the second question: Why would anyone want to be appointed secretary of state? Today’s secretary of state is like the parent for the world, anytime a crisis erupts, the United States secretary of state answers that late-night call and offers guidance for As I solving the problem. See It The secretary of state is appointed by the president and is the president’s go-to-person for anything ■ The Troy involving foreign affairs. Along with rebellions and Daily News invasions, the secretary of state advises the presiwelcomes columns from dent on appointing U.S. ambassadors and dismissour readers. To ing representatives of foreign countries, is his persubmit an “As I sonal representative at conferences and negotiates See It” send treaties, ensures the protection of U.S. citizens and your type-writU.S. interest in foreign countries, and fulfills several ten column to: other responsibilities. ■ “As I See It” With those kinds of credentials, why can’t the c/o Troy Daily secretary of state be promoted to the presidency? News, 224 S. Current secretaries of state have also proven Market St., they can think and respond under fire, so why not Troy, OH 45373 give them a serious look for president? ■ You can also We wouldn’t mind seeing Condoleezza Rice e-mail us at and/or Hillary Rodham Clinton as their party’s preseditorial@tdnpu idential nominee in four years. As they say, we’ve blishing.com. done worse. ■ Please San Francisco Chronicle include your full on the new president of Mexico: name and teleA great guessing game about Mexico’s future phone number. revs up as Enrique Peña Nieto takes office as president. He could carve out new policies on drugs, immigration and domestic issues or turn out to be the youthful face of the country’s old guard returning to power. For the United States, it’s not an idle game. President Barack Obama met with Nieto in a meet-and-greet at the White House recently. “What happens in Mexico has an impact on our society,” Obama noted. Vice President Joe Biden will lead a U.S. delegation attending the Mexico City inauguration, a sign of Mexico’s prominence in American minds. Departing leader Felipe Calderon worked closely with U.S. authorities to hunt down drug cartel leaders. He also insulated his country from the worst of global recession, even eking out a growth rate over 3 percent last year. But voters want more. Nieto, 46, is the standard-bearer of the oncedominant and then discarded PRI party, and he won office by promising a major retooling. He wants emphasis on citizen safety from the drug violence that’s killed 60,000 people in six years, not just the high-profile busts of cartel kings. It’s a switch that may place less emphasis on the flow of drugs northward, a problem that violence-weary Mexicans don’t share with Americans. With Nieto’s arrival and Obama’s re-election, the timing may finally be right to settle another key issue: immigration. An estimated 6 million Mexicans live illegally in the United States, but the politics and joint interests in rectifying the situation have never aligned. Now may be the chance for both countries to get it right.

LETTERS

Thank you for your support

National Bank and Upper Valley Medical Center, have all made generous contributions to TJHS over the past two years. To the Editor: The donations of both time and Troy Junior High School money have been used to assist would like to take a moment to us with several endeavors. stop and thank our business Last school year, Upper partners through the Troy Valley Medical Center made a Chamber of Commerce for donation to assist with the purtheir recent support of our chase of T-shirts for the entire school. student body to promote our In an economic environment character education program. where budgets are tight, it is Last school year and this encouraging to have such gen- school year, Erwin Chrysler erous business partners. Our Jeep provided lunch for the top business partners: Erwin selling students from our Chrysler Dodge Jeep, Unity fundraiser. This school year,

they also provided their time and vehicles, including the use of their Dodge Viper, to transport those students. Finally, thanks are in order to Unity National Bank. They recently assisted the TJHS counselors in providing a meal for our girls’ overnighter. As you can see, TJHS is very fortunate to have such supportive business partners. It is generous businesses like these that make Troy such a great place to work and live.

WRITETO US: The Troy Daily News welcomes signed letters to the editor. Letters must contain your home address and a telephone number where you can be reached during the day. Letters must be shorter than 500 words as a courtesy to other writers. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. MAIL: 224 S. Market, Troy, Ohio, 45373; E-MAIL: editorial@tdnpublishing.com; FAX (937) 440-5286; ONLINE: www.troydailynews.com (“Letters To The Editor” link on left side).

DOONESBURY

We need to send a new team to the Olympics In the days before the fall of Communism, it was reported that the former Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc nations would select athletes at a very young age and train them to be Olympic champions. The idea was to select the biggest, strongest, fastest athletes, pump them full of steroids (anyone who remembers the East German women shot putters circa 1980 knows exactly what I’m talking about) and have them bring glory to Mother Russia. There are some who say the Chinese still do this with their athletes — particularly Olympic gymnasts and divers. The Chinese select their best athletes almost as soon as they can walk and put them in elite sports academies where they spend upwards of 15 hours per day doing nothing but preparing to be future Olympians. They leave their families and everything they know behind in hopes of one day winning a gold medal. Their singular focus in life is competing during an Olympic fortnight. Other nations who do not utilize such training methods often have difficulty competing against such automatons, whose entire lives have been leading up to that

David Fong Troy Daily News Executive Editor Olympic moment. All of which leads me to believe that if the International Olympic Committee ever makes four square (the recess game, not the cell phone app) an Olympic sport, the United States is poised to dominate the world. I have seen the training grounds on which Americans are competing in four square — and it isn’t pretty. Once per month, a group of us at the Troy Daily News are “Lunch Buddies” at Heywood Elementary School. We love spending time eating lunch and hanging out at recess with our lunch buddies — and watching them train to be future four square world champions. When I was going to school, kickball was the game of choice at

— Dave Dilbone TJHS Principal

recess. I often thought then — and still do now — that if kickball had been an Olympic sport, the Americans would have dominated. I truly believe that Matt Monnin — who was probably the greatest kickball player I ever saw in elementary school — would have been the Michael Phelps of the Olympic kickball world. Apparently, however, kickball has fallen out of favor at elementary schools — or at least Heywood Elementary School. At Heywood, it’s all about four square. Not tetherball, not kickball, not basketball, not football — it’s all four square, all the time. And those kids take their four square seriously. Scary seriously. I never actually saw gladiators battle to the death in the Colosseum, but I have to imagine it has nothing on four square at Heywood Elementary School. At one point, my lunch buddy asked me if I wanted to join in and play. I said to him: “Kid, I have played indoor football, stepped into a professional wrestling ring and ridden behind a giant horse in a harness race at the Miami County Fair during my tenure at the Troy Daily News. I am essentially fearless when it comes to

such things. And there is no way under blue heaven I am joining this four square game.” The scariest part about their four square games is the fact there are very little rules — and the rules that are in place are constantly changing. I don’t mean they change the rules in between games; they actually change the rules during games, sometimes while the ball is in mid-flight. We were at recess for roughly 20 minutes — five of which was spent actually playing four square, 15 of which was spent arguing over who was winning the game. Does anybody really win at four square? Four square wasn’t merely a game to played at recess to these kids. Heck, it wasn’t even life or death — it was much bigger than that. I have no doubts now — as I had no doubts then — they would have no problem devoting the rest of their lives to becoming the greatest four square players the world has ever seen. Watch out world, here we come. Troy’s very own David Fong appears on Thursdays in the Troy Daily News. He misses daily recess.

Troy Troy Daily News

Miami Valley Sunday News

FRANK BEESON Group Publisher

DAVID FONG Executive Editor

LEIANN STEWART Retail Advertising Manager

CHERYL HALL Circulation Manager

BETTY BROWNLEE Business Manager

SCARLETT SMITH Graphics Manager

AN OHIO COMMUNITY MEDIA NEWSPAPER 224 S. Market St. Troy, Ohio 45373 www.TDN-NET.com 335-5634

Thursday, December 13, 2012

LOCAL & WORLD

TROY DAILY NEWS • WWW.TDN-NET.COM

OBITUARIES

ELIZABETH ‘LOUISE’ HIRT BETHEL TOWNSHIP — Elizabeth “Louise” Hirt, 93, of Bethel Township, formerly of Piqua, died Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. She was born Dec. 28, 1918, in Piqua, to Ray and Golda (Large) Hardesty. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Lawrence Hirt in 1991; and two brothers. She is survived by brothers, Guy Hardesty and Richard (Lois) Hardesty, son, Jerry Hirt; daughter, Jenny and her husband Ron Dickensheets; three grandchildren, J.L. (Missy) Hirt, Rob O’Dell and Belinda (O’Dell) Meuller;

five great-grandchildren, Justin Hirt, Matt Bush, Benjamin Meuller, Alex and Anna O’Dell. Louise was a member of the Brandt UMC where memorial services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers contribution may be made in memory of Louise to the Brandt United Methodist Church Debt Retirement Fund. Arrangements have been entrusted to Frings and Bayliff Funeral Home, 327 W. Main St., Tipp City, OH 45371. Online condolences may be made to www.fringsandbayliff.com.

Disciples of legendary Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar put up his portrait for a prayer meeting Wednesday to pay him tributes at his music center, in New Delhi, India.

FUNERAL DIRECTORY

• Georgia Dix DAYTON — Georgia Dix, of Dayton, formerly of West Milton, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 11, Black” and the Byrds used raga-influ- 2012, at Hospice of enced guitar on “Eight Miles High.” Dayton.

Shankar dies at age 92 NEW YORK (AP) — The kids at first didn’t seem to know how to respond as Ravi Shankar began his four-hour set on the final afternoon of the Monterey Pop Festival, in the fabled summer of 1967. As captured in D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary, some nodded along and smiled; Jimi Hendrix listened carefully. Others dozed, or chatted. A few hippies danced wildly, as if they couldn’t tell or didn’t care about the difference between Shankar’s raga and a Jefferson Airplane jam. But as the performance accelerated from isolated strains to a pace that could exhaust the speediest rock star, eyes opened, minds expanded and Shankar and his fellow musicians left to a long standing ovation. Labeled “the godfather of world music” by Beatle George Harrison, Shankar helped millions of Westerners classical, jazz and rock lovers discover the centuries-old traditions of Indian music. From Harrison to John Coltrane, from Yehudi Menuhin to Andre Previn, he bridged, sometimes unsteadily, the musical gap between East and West, between what Shankar noted as the classical East’s emphasis on melody and rhythm and the classical West’s foundation of “harmony, counterpoint, chords, modulation and other basics.” “Indian music was the original ‘world music’ appealing to a generation of educated, middle-class Western listeners,” said producer Joe Boyd, who has worked with everyone from Pink Floyd to Nazakat & Salamat Ali. “Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan were the first musicians to reach that audience in a profound way that transcended cultural boundaries.” Shankar died Tuesday at age 92. A statement on his website said he died in San Diego, near his Southern California home with his wife and a daughter by his side. The musician’s foundation issued a statement saying that he had suffered upper respiratory and heart problems and had undergone heart-valve replacement surgery last week. “My Dad’s music touched millions of people,” his daughter, musician Norah Jones, said in a statement. “He will be greatly missed by me and music lovers everywhere.”

Through Shankar and his bond with Harrison, countless rock acts absorbed Eastern sounds, including the Beatles, the Byrds, Aerosmith and R.E.M. Shankar also became a conscience for all popular musicians when he helped pioneer the rock benefit show with the 1971 Concert For Bangladesh, where featured acts included Harrison, Ringo Starr and Bob Dylan. His last musical performance was with his other daughter, sitarist Anoushka Shankar Wright, on Nov. 4 in Long Beach, Calif. The multiple Grammy winner received a lifetime achievement honor Wednesday from the Recording Academy. “It’s one of the biggest losses for the music world,” said Kartic Seshadri, a Shankar protege, sitar virtuoso and music professor at the University of California, San Diego. “There’s nothing more to be said.” As early as the 1950s, Shankar began collaborating with and teaching some of the greats of Western music, including violinist Menuhin and jazz saxophonist Coltrane. He played well-received shows in concert halls in Europe and the United States, but faced a constant struggle. Shankar was amused after he and colleague Ustad Ali Akbar Khan were greeted with admiring applause when they opened the Concert for Bangladesh by twanging their sitar and sarod for a minute and a half. “If you like our tuning so much, I hope you will enjoy the playing more,” he told the confused crowd, and then launched into his set. He might never have inspired the Bangladesh concert or played Monterey, where other breakthrough performers included Hendrix and Janis Joplin, if not for the curiosity of Harrison while on the set of the Beatles’ 1965 movie “Help!” The plot featured the Beatles, four of the West’s most famous faces, being hounded by an Eastern cult that coveted one of Starr’s rings. During filming, Harrison noticed a sitar, a longnecked string instrument that uses a bulbous gourd for its resonating chamber and resembles a giant lute. He developed a crude facility and played the instrument, with Western tuning, on Lennon’s “Norwegian Wood.” The Rolling Stones soon used a sitar on the hit single “Paint it

Meanwhile, Harrison sought out Shankar, already a musical icon in India, to teach him to use it properly. According to Byrds leader Roger McGuinn, he told Harrison about Shankar during an acid trip in Los Angeles, at, of all places, Zsa Zsa Gabor’s mansion. Harrison and Shankar spent weeks together, starting the lessons at Harrison’s house in England and then moving to a houseboat in Kashmir and later to California. Harrison, who died in 2001, revered Shankar as a father figure and cited him as a noble and selfless contrast to the devouring rock music world. Gaining confidence with the sitar, Harrison recorded the Indianinspired song “Love You To” on the Beatles’ landmark 1966 album “Revolver,” helping spark the ragarock phase of ’60s music and making Shankar a favorite at Western concerts. He not only played at Monterey, where Beatle Paul McCartney was on the festival’s board of directors, but was featured on the opening day of Woodstock. In some ways, he was an ideal hippie hero, with his long musical sets, bright clothing and his aura of higher consciousness. But Shankar, a serious, disciplined traditionalist who had played Carnegie Hall, objected to the drug use and rebelliousness of the young culture. “I was shocked to see people dressing so flamboyantly. They were all stoned. To me, it was a new world,” Shankar told Rolling Stone of the Monterey festival. While he enjoyed Otis Redding and the Mamas and the Papas at the festival, he was horrified when Hendrix lit his guitar on fire. In 1971, moved by the nightmare of millions of refugees fleeing into India to escape the war in Bangladesh, Shankar reached out to Harrison. In what Shankar later described as “one of the most moving and intense musical experiences of the century,” the pair organized two benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden. The concert, which led to an album and a film, raised millions of dollars for UNICEF, although some money went missing and legal battles ensued. But a new tradition had started and benefit shows continue to this day, from the 1985 Live Aid concert to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia to Wednesday’s 12-12-12 concert for Sandy victims.

SHERIFF’S REPORT Nov. 20 DUI on 25-A and Farrington Road: On the listed date and time, deputies were traveling southbound on County Road 25-A at 12:47 a.m. At that time, officers observed a vehicle traveling northbound on County Road 25-A traveling over the white fog line onto the shoulder of the roadway and then travel in to both northbound lanes of travel. The deputies also observed the vehicle then travel back into the northbound lane while driving over the center lanes of the northbound lane. As the vehicle passed, officers observed that a white male was operating the vehicle. Officers turned around and activated their overhead emergency lights and sirens. At that time, the driver was continuing to cross into the opposite lane of travel and then back into the northbound lane. Officers followed the Jeep Liberty for approximately for 150 yards before the driver of the Jeep pulled off the road-

way. At that time, another officer was assisting with the traffic stop as well. As deputies making their approach to the vehicle, the white male driver exited the vehicle and almost fell out from the vehicle. The driver was later identified as Wayne E. Rogers III. Rogers’ face appeared to be flushed; his eyes were bloodshot red, glossy and watery. Rogers then began to walk towards the officers, and while doing so, he had to lean against the vehicle to regain his balance. Officers asked Rogers if he was okay and he stated that he was “drunk.” Officers asked him what he was drunk off of and he stated that he was drinking beer. Rogers speech was slurred and slow. Rogers stated that he was drunk again while he made contact with officers. The officer conducted a pat down of Rogers person and removed a box cutter knife from his right front pocket. Rogers stated that he was going home. The volume of Rogers speech was low and

raspy when he responded. Officers could smell an odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from Rogers’ person and asked Rogers for his driver’s license. Rogers was slow to remove his wallet from his right rear pocket of his pants. He removed a bank card and provided it to the officer and then said that it wasn’t the right one. Rogers then continued to search his wallet for his driver’s license. Rogers then provided me with his wallet and stated that he couldn’t find it. Officers observed his identification card immediately in the middle clear window slot of his wallet and removed the ID card without incident. Officers asked Rogers if he would complete three standardized field sobriety tests and he stated that he didn’t want to do the pen test. Officers started to demonstrate the horizontal gaze nystagmus test while placing the tip of the pen in front of his face and he stated that he didn’t want to do any of the

tests. Officers advised him that he was under arrest for operating a vehicle while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage. Rogers could barely stand on his own; his body was swaying back and forth. Officers advised dispatch that Rogers was in custody and was being transported to the Sheriff’s Office. Upon arrival, officers had to help Rogers walk into the road room. Rogers continued to stumble and walk slowly. Officers provided Rogers a copy of the BMV Form 2255 and requested for him to read along while officers read the form to him. After the form was read, officers asked Rogers if he understood and he stated that he did. Officers then asked Rogers if he would submit to a breath test, which Rogers refused. Officers completed citations for OVI, marked lanes and driving under a failure to reinstate suspension with a mandatory court date for Rogers. Rogers then was released to a sober driver without incident.

DEATHS OF NATIONAL INTEREST • Bob Munden BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — Bob Munden was a fast talker, a quick shot and an entertainer who dreamed up ways to do seemingly impossible gun tricks. He could shoot an aspirin off the head of a nail without hitting the nail, split a playing card in half while it was in the air and hit two balloons placed 6 feet apart with two shots that appear to break the balloons at the same time. Munden, who was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as “The Fastest Man with a Gun Who Ever Lived,” has died in Butte. He was 70. Becky Munden says her husband died of heart failure Tuesday as they drove home from Missoula, where he had been hospitalized for treatment of a mild heart attack. “At some point between Missoula and their home of Butte, Bob mentioned he was experiencing chest pains, told Becky to keep on driving, and died,” according to an obituary posted on Munden’s website. He was pronounced dead at St. James Healthcare in Butte. Munden, also a master gunsmith, developed groundbreaking ways of customizing a .45 caliber single-action revolver and other guns, The Montana Standard reported. Munden was born in Kansas City, Mo., and graduated from high school in Big Bear Lake, Calif. He got a BB gun for Christmas when he was 6 and began competing in fast-draw competitions in the early 1960s. He and his wife began performing in 1968, emphasizing gun safety while demonstrating trick shots around the world, including at school assemblies across the West. He had his family moved to Montana in 1978. “We had an incredible, memorable life together,” Becky said in a statement. He appeared on many television shows, including American Shooter, Ripley’s Believe it or Not and Shooting USA’s Impossible Shots.Two years ago, he appeared on Stan Lee’s Superhumans on the History channel. Guinness recognized Munden up until its 1980 edition. Munden is survived by his wife and two daughters. • Mary Lee Leahy CHICAGO — Gov. Pat Quinn is remembering a Springfield attorney who took an Illinois political patronage case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Quinn’s office said Wednesday that Mary Lee Leahy was a one-time colleague and longtime friend of the governor. She died in Chicago after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Leahy took a case to the Supreme Court in 1990 that resulted in a ruling banning patronage hiring. Quinn says Leahy was a strong advocate and made her mark as a reformer, attorney and public servant. • Joe L. Allbritton McLEAN, Va. — Joe L. Allbritton, who became one of Washington’s most influential men through a media conglomerate that included newspapers and television stations and a financial empire that once included Riggs National Bank, died Wednesday. He was 87. He was suffering from heart ailments and died at a hospital in Houston, where he lived, said Frederick J. Ryan Jr., president of Arlington, Va.-based Allbritton Communications Co. Allbritton’s fortune was self-made, beginning with real estate trades and banking investments. By age 33, he was a millionaire, Ryan said. His media holdings included eight television stations in seven markets, including WJLA, the ABC affiliate in Washington whose call letters bear his initials. In an era of corporate media ownership, WJLA stood out as a family-owned station. Ryan said it is the largest privately owned ABC affiliate in the country. Its sister station, NewsChannel 8, was the first of its kind a local all-news cable channel. He owned the Washington Star from 1974 to 1978 before he was forced to sell the venerable newspaper to Time Inc. to comply with federal regulations governing cross-ownership of media platforms; it folded a few years later. Allbritton’s only son, Robert, founded one of the successes of the new media era, Politico, a must-read online and print publication for political junkies. The elder Allbritton was also the principal stockholder in Riggs National Bank for more than 20 years, including its final years, which were mired in scandal. Former first lady Nancy Reagan said in a statement, “Ronnie and I considered Joe and his wife, Barby, to be dear friends and I will miss his great sense of humor.”

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Sitar virtuoso helped bring Indian music to the world

Funeral services will be held Friday at Hale-Sarver Family Funeral Home, West Milton, with burial to follow at Riverside Cemetery, West Milton.

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ANNIE’S MAILBOX

You might want to discuss the issue with your children Dear Annie: I have been married to "Nancy" for 51 years. The day of our wedding, I was 167 pounds with a full head of hair. Now I am 181 pounds and bald. Nancy was always a Rubens type, which was fine with me. After giving birth to our first child, she lost more than 20 pounds, and even her father was impressed. However, two more children followed, and her weight went up to what it was before. Now, at age 75, she is obese. She has trouble with her ankles and can barely move. She refuses to use a cane or a walker. We constantly argue. She is beginning to look ugly to me. I want to leave, but I can't because she cannot live alone. I am depressed. If I die before she does, she will be on her own because our children work, are struggling financially and have their own kids to raise. They have spoken to their mother about the possibility of a retirement home, and she says, "Absolutely not." What can I do? — West Valley Dear West: Some of this is not within your control — your wife's weight and what happens after you die. It is selfish of her to put this type of burden on her children, so you might want to discuss it directly with them, making contingency plans in case she should outlive you. There are alternatives to retirement homes, including inhome care or one of the children taking Mom in. You, however, are stressed over this and having a rough time. Please talk to your doctor about it. Dear Annie: My mother-in-law is not a true hoarder, but she's definitely a packrat. Her house has drawers, cabinets and boxes filled with unfinished craft pieces, papers so old you can't read the faded print, moldy magazines, dried paint, cracked pottery, broken candy dishes and junk tucked into nooks and crannies so deep no one has seen the contents in years. She is the only one who knows where anything important might be "filed." She is widowed and retired and has the time and the physical ability to go through this stuff. Her two children help with yard work and home improvement, but they don't have time to pick through her collections. My mother-in-law is not depressed. She's just lazy and has poor organizational skills. She spends too much time watching TV and emailing. I am hoping she might recognize herself in your column. How can I convince her to de-clutter before it's too late? — Don't Want To Pick Through the Weeds Dear Don't: If Mom has poor organizational skills, the idea of going through her vast collection of miscellany is both overwhelming and paralyzing. She needs someone to assist her, one drawer at a time, perhaps once a week, to make it manageable. You could offer to do this or suggest it to another family member. Or hire a professional organizer. And it's possible that Mom's church or other community organization has volunteers who might help out. Dear Annie: This is for "Devastated Daughter," whose father died suddenly. Now she is conflicted about going away to college, because she worries about leaving her mother alone. I agree with your advice that she should go as planned. Here's my message to her: Dear Daughter: Your concern for your mother is a beautiful testament to your relationship. She is concerned for you, too. The best gift you could give her is to follow your dreams, live according to the values you have learned from a loving family and succeed as an independent young woman. Yes, she may occasionally break down. But she will go on, and it will be much easier if she knows you are OK. — Thinking of You in the South Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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