GARRETT ‘GENIUS’ Librarian helps find the right books MORE ON PAGE 2
The Garrett Clipper An edition of The
NEWS IN BRIEF Miss Garrett tickets now on sale GARRETT — Tickets for the 52nd annual Miss Garrett Pageant are on sale at the Garrett-KeyserButler schools superintendent’s office on East Warfield Street. Fifteen Garrett seniors will compete for the title in the pageant Saturday in the Performing Arts Center. Contestants are Bridget Chisholm, Alexis Obenauer, Kiersten Jarnagin, Michaela Scherer, Jacquelyne Zahner, MacKenzie Davis, Katelynn Butler, Jennifer Cleveland, Danielle Conley, Molly Wilhelm, Olivia Ruble, Hayley Hall, Katie Hunkler, Alyssa Patterson and Taya Firestone. Tickets cost $9 each. All seats are reserved. The superintendent’s office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
Pep rally, parent teacher meetings Aug. 8 at J.E. Ober GARRETT — J.E. Ober Elementary School in Garrett will be holding a Back to School Pep Rally on Thursday, Aug. 8. in the Bateman Gym from 5:30-6 p.m. Parent-teacher meetings will be held following the pep rally. Parents who have children in grades K-2 will meet in their children’s classrooms from 6:15-6:45 p.m. Parents who have children in grades 3-5 will meet in their children’s classrooms from 6:45-7:15 p.m. While parents are attending the meeting, children will be entertained by several Ober staff members. Immediately following the grades 3-5 parent-teacher meeting, a presentation, “Personalized Learning at J,E, Ober” will be shown in the Performing Arts Center. All parents are encouraged to attend.
The Garrett Clipper P.O. Box 59 Garrett, IN 46738 Phone: 925-2611 ext. 45 Fax: 925-2625 attn: Garrett Clipper
AUGUST 1, 2013
VOL. 127 ISSUE #61 On the web at: kpcnews.com
75 cents Garrett, Indiana Established in 1885
Piano exhibit opens Friday Decorated pianos featured in multiple cities AUBURN —Pianos will be set out across DeKalb County as part of the Pianos on the Square interactive outdoor family event. Festivitites kick off Friday with a garden party from 4-7 p.m. on the lawn of the DeKalb County Courthouse in Auburn. The garden party will feature a chalk walk on Cedar Street, a garden party hat contest, piano music from Carol Foley, Julie Western and Sydney Hefty and refreshments. Pianos on the Square runs through Sept. 15 and features decorated pianos all over Auburn, Butler, Waterloo and Garrett. Clubs, organizations and individuals have decorated the pianos and the public is encouraged to play them. Pianos in Garrett are located at: the Judy A. Morrill Center, decorated by Courtney Reinhold; Garrett Public Library, decorated by Cora Myers; Garrett Museum of Art, decorated by Suzie Chisholm; and the courtyard near City Hall, decorated by Tracy Crocker. ➤ Pianos, Page 5
Octavia Lehman
Registered piano technician Brian Doepke tunes a baby grand piano on the west side of the DeKalb County Courthouse Monday. The piano is part of Pianos on the Square, a free, interactive, outdoor event featuring decorated pianos all over the county. The baby grand piano has been painted white and will be decorated by the nonprofit Auburn revitalization group ADAC, with Auburn’s revitaliza-
tion as the theme. Decorating of some of the pianos is complete, while work will progress on others as the exhibit continues through Sept. 15. Pianos on the Square will open with a free garden party Friday from 4-7 p.m. on the courthouse lawn. Free outdoor concerts and recitals and other piano-related programs will take place throughout the six-week event.
Student online registration now open
ARTISTIC CAMPERS
National Night Out planned Tuesday GARRETT — Garrett neighborhoods are invited to join with thousands nationwide to celebrate the 30th National Night Out crime and drug prevention event on Tuesday. National Night Out is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and co-sponsored locally by the City of Garrett. More than 15,700 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases around the world are expected to participate this year. The purpose of the event is to: • heighten crime and drug awareness: • generate support for, and participation in local anti-crime efforts; • strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and • send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. From 7-10 p.m. Tuesday, Garrett residents are asked to lock their doors, turn on outside lights and and spend the evening outside with neighbors and police. The Garrett Police Department invites neighborhoods to host events such as block parties and cookouts, visits from the police, contests, youth activities and anti-crime rallies. People may contact the Garrett Police Department with any questions at 357-5151 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
THURSDAY
Registration must be completed by Aug. 12
Sue Carpenter
Lily Gould, 7 and Victoria Hug, 6 model hats they created during a creative art camp at the Judy A. Morrill Recreation Center this week.
Council seeks ways to cut county budgets By Aaron Organ aorgan@kpcmedia.com AUBURN — The DeKalb County Council on Tuesday held the first of its two-day sessions reviewing 2014 budgets of county departments. The reviews continues Wednesday in the Commissioners Courtroom on the second floor of the DeKalb County Courthouse. The county is facing an estimated budget $1.5 million shortfall heading into 2014, as it continues to battle rising heath care costs, extreme increases in property tax refunds and mounting delinquent taxes, said County Ccuncil President Alan Middleton. Middleton opened Tuesday’s session by saying that after 2013 saw three rounds of cuts to meet unexpected shortfalls, the council’s review of the 2014 proposed budgets would be strict. Middleton said the council would look for clarity and transparency in the proposed budgets, but also “savings and improvements in efficiencies with costs.” Middleton said other ways to ease the budget aches could come from applying for an excess tax levy that could render $400,000, or cutting county staff. Opening the session, Sheriff Don Lauer presented his department’s proposed $3.14 million budget. The figure is $19,950 under Lauer’s 2013 adopted budget through cuts
to such items as technical support, telecommunications and medical costs. Lauer’s budget includes a request for an additional $20,000 in fuel. He explained that is designed to prevent transferring funds to cover additional costs for fuel, as he needed to do in 2013. Lauer also told the council he would like to add a captain to his administration force at an additional cost of $2,269. The county commissioners presented a $3.588 million proposed budget to the council that includes a .04 percent increase from the 2013 adopted budget. The commissioners added nearly $3,000 in travel and $7,400 earmarked for the Northeast Indiana Mental Health organization. The commissioners warned that health insurance costs are expected to grow by 15 percent and liability insurance costs by 5 percent, together totaling some $301,000. However, the commissioners said they’ll pay the added costs with county economic development income tax money. The council challenged the commissioners to explore launching a health care clinic for county employees with CEDIT dollars to offset insurance premiums. The county prosecutor’s office presented a $229,472 proposed 2014 budget that was on par with its 2013 adopted budget. ➤ Council, Page 3
GARRETT — The Garrett-Keyser-Butler School District online student registration for the 2013-2014 school year is open. If the enrollment process was not completed in the spring, parents are asked to complete the process now. The system is a secure and green process, which allows the district to verify all student demographic, emergency and medical information for each child prior to the start of the new school year. The system allows parents to electronically sign the annual permission forms for school district policies. This online process replaces all the hard copy student registration and permission forms. Letters were sent home to parents in May with instructions on how to access the system for their students. Parents also can access this information by logging onto the school’s website at www.gkb. k12.in.us and clicking on the registration tab. Parents of new students should contact the school before completing the online registration process. The online registration process must be completed for a student to start school Aug. 12. Parents with questions about completing the registration can contact J. E. Ober School at 357-3112, Garrett Middle School at 357-5745, and Garrett High School at 357-4114.
Breakfast, lunch prices listed Breakfast and lunch prices for the 2013-2014 school year are: • Breakfast — Students K-12 $1.25, reduced for all grades is free, Adults — $1.45 • Lunch — Students K-5 $2, 6-12 $2.10, reduced for all grades is $.40, Adults — $ 2.75 For the 2013-2014 school year, fourth- and fifth-grade students will dine together in the middle school cafeteria for lunch, and the Ober cafeteria for breakfast. These students will have the opportunity for more choices along with a la carte items that can be purchased. If parents would like to put spend limits on their students’ accounts, please call 357-3117. Purchasing of a la carte items will not be allowed if a student carries a negative balance on his or her debit card. The school lunch charge policy is on the school’s website under the food service tab. The website also contains a link to My Payments Plus. This site provides access to each student’s account activity and allows payments using a credit card. Applications for free or reduced price meals are available. Parents may apply online by following the link on the website or by picking up a paper application at any of the school offices.