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Regional Cancer Center offering free prostate cancer screens Page A2
Weather Mix of sun and clouds, high of 85. Low tonight drops to 60. Page A6 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2013
Angola, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Monthly Gallery 65 is today, Sunday ANGOLA — Quilting, needlework and other fiber arts are the focus of this month’s Gallery 65 event. The Gallery located inside In A Flash Photographic Studio at 65 S. Public Square, will be open today noon to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The Gallery will host a special exhibit during Autumn in Angola that will feature the art guilds from the several communities Sept. 28 through Oct. 6.
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Steuben ’14 budget less than ’13 County employees don’t get raises BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — Steuben County Council member s wrapped up their budget writing duties somewhat early Friday morning after a marathon session started the work on Wednesday. The final tally for the general fund budget was $9.937 million for 2014. That compares to just under $9.996 million that was budgeted for this year.
The county’s financial consultant, Jeff Peters, Greenwood, urged the council to come in with a general fund budget of about $9.76 million in order to plan for anticipated declines in revenue due mainly to the state constitutionally imposed tax caps. “We came close. I’m proud that we actually made it under last year,” Auditor Pam Coleman said. Peters is predicting that the county could face a deficit in 2017
due to rising costs and declining revenue. County employees will not receive raises this year, but longevity pay increases were provided as scheduled. There were a few department heads whose salaries were increased to make their pay comparable to other department heads. The overall budget with special funds not derived directly from general fund property tax dollars came out to $22.618 million. The budget will be adopted on first reading at 8 a.m. Tuesday
ANGOLA — Angola Parks and Recreation will host the annual NFL Punt, Pass and Kick competition on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 10 a.m. The event will be held at the Angola Kids League field for boys and girls ages 6-15. No cleats may be used, but birth certificates are required for participation. Pre-registration may be taken online at nflppk.com or register on the day of the competition. For more details, call 665-1588. PATRICK REDMOND
Kendallville Computer co-owner Matt Reid works on a laptop computer in his shop. Reid
Spangler Candy
Read about the area company that produces Dum Dums suckers, candy canes, circus peanuts and more on Sunday.
Clip and Save Find $126 in coupon savings in Sunday’s newspaper.
AUTO RACING Check out the latest auto racing news and photos kpcnews.com Sports > Auto Racing
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when the council meets. To start the budget process, department heads requested some $10.841 million in spending in the general fund. That compares to a 2013 budget of $9.996 million. Requests from department heads exceeded by about $1 million the revenue anticipated by Coleman. Budgets from other taxing units in the county will be folded into the county’s budget before the final taxing picture will come into view later this fall.
Obama facing battle
Punt, Pass, Kick competition to be held Sept. 14
Coming Sunday
75 cents
said the FBI Moneypak virus sends at least eight computers a week to his shop to be repaired.
Virus strikes in area BY PATRICK REDMOND predmond@kpcnews.net
LAGRANGE — A powerful computer virus is popping up in Windows-based computers and keeping local computer technicians busy cleaning up its damage. The FBI Moneypak virus has been is the United States for about a year but is not well known. The virus, known as malware, also is called ransomware and scareware because it locks a user out of his or her computer and attempts to get the computer’s owner to send money to release the machine. The virus pretends to be real-time message sent by the FBI and promises to restore the computer once a fine has been
PATRICK REDMOND
The face of the FBI Moneypak virus on an infected computer. The virus locks the user out of his or her computer and makes the machine unusable.
paid, but that is not true. “We get calls about things like this all the time,” said LaGrange County Sheriff Terry Martin. “If you don’t know who it is, don’t send anyone money online. It’s a scam.” The virus, thought to have originated in Russia or Eastern
Europe, overrides a computer’s programming and only allows it to display a screen filled with pictures of alleged U.S. government officials. It includes pictures of law enforcement badges. A page claims the computer’s owner was locked out by the government SEE VIRUS, PAGE A6
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Beset by divisions at home and abroad, President Barack Obama candidly acknowledged deep challenges Friday in pursuing support for a military strike against Syria from international allies and the U.S. Congress. He refused to say whether he might act on his own, a step that could have major implications for the U.S. as well as for the remainder of his presidency. The White House laid out an intense week of lobbying, with Obama addressing the nation from the White House Tuesday night. “I did not put this before Congress just as a political ploy or as symbolism,” Obama said, adding that it would be a mistake to talk about any backup strategy before lawmakers vote on a use-offorce resolution. The president spoke to reporters at the end of a two-day international summit, where he sought backing for a strike against Syria in retaliation for a deadly chemical weapons attack against civilians. But Obama appeared to leave the summit with no more backing than he had when he arrived. In fact, Russian President Vladimir Putin, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, said he was the one with support from the majority of countries attending the Group of 20 meeting. Putin insisted anew that Obama seek approval from the United Nations before taking military action, despite the fact that Russia has blocked previous Security Council efforts to punish Assad throughout Syria’s bloody 2½-year civil war. The White House tried to counter Putin’s assessment by releasing a joint statement from the U.S. and 10 other countries announcing support for “efforts SEE OBAMA, PAGE A6
Stroke patient finds joy in cycling BY DENNIS NARTKER dnartker@kpcmedia.com
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. 246
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Former Kendallville resident and Dr. John Shank Jr. rides his recumbent bike for hundreds of miles despite major disabilities as a result of a stroke.
FORT WAYNE — “He’s happiest when he’s on his bike.” If anyone knows where East Noble graduate John Shank’s happy place is, it’s his wife, Cristy. “Riding his bike is the only thing he can do now that he did before, and that makes him happy,” she said this week in a phone interview. About three years ago, there was doubt if Shank would be capable of doing anything. This is a story about finding a smile again, a purpose in life with the support of family and friends when sudden tragedy nearly ended that life. A little more than three years ago, the 47-year-old oral and maxillofacial surgeon had a successful practice in Fort Wayne, The avid cyclist and his wife have four children, and their life together was filled with keeping up with their kids’ school activities and recreational pursuits, tending to the horses at their Fort Wayne-area home and family vacations. Their oldest son, Ben, is a sophomore at Wabash College studying
economics. Their 18-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, is attending Baylor University in Texas on an equestrian scholarship. Son Dan is a freshman at Canterbury, and son Will is a fifth-grader at Canterbury. That all changed July 9, 2010, while the Shanks were attending a horse show at the Olympic Horse Park in Atlanta, Ga. “John said he wasn’t feeling right. He said he thought his electrolytes were off,” said Cristy. They were in their recreational vehicle when he suffered a massive stroke. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors determined Shank had a tear in an artery and the blood clot went to his brain, blocking the blood flow. He survived, but with severe disabilities. He no longer could speak, read, write or drive. The stroke reduced his vision in both eyes, and he barely can move his right hand and leg. He suffers from seizures. He has physical and speech therapy four times a week, tasks that are challenging but which Shank enjoys because it’s something he can do, said his wife. He walks without a cane, and can dress and feed himself. “John communicates with gestures,” SEE SHANK, PAGE A2