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Serving the Steuben County 101 lakes area since 1857
Man jailed on meth allegations in Steuben County.
Weather 20 percent chance of more snow today, high of 29. Low of 14. Page A6
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Angola, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Lakes Council available year-round ANGOLA — The Steuben County Lakes Council will have its first meeting of the year in February. The Lakes Council meets on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 314 W. Maumee St., Angola. The public is encouraged to attend and provide input on how the county can best use and protect its valuable natural resources. Meetings are not held in January. The next meeting is Feb. 2. The organization’s annual meeting is held at the Lake James Christian Assembly, 1880 W. C.R. 275N, in August. The date of the meeting is Aug. 3 at 8:30 a.m. The Lakes Council has an office at 207 S. Wayne St., Suite B, Angola, which is overseen by secretary Sue Myers. She can be reached at 665-1730 or office@lakescouncil.org. A web site is at lakescouncil.org.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2012
kpcnews.com
Obama makes Christmas call Deployed Angola soldier chats with Commander-in-Chief Tuesday FROM STAFF REPORTS
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — “Hello, President Obama? … I’m great, how are you?” So began the most memorable phone call of a six-month deployment for Senior Airman Keshia Shutts with the 451st Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron here, who received a Christmas morning phone call from President Barack Obama. The Commander-in-Chief thanked Shutts for her service and asked if she had been able to talk to her 3-year old daughter, Sienna, back home in Angola, Ind. He also asked if Shutts, who is engaged, had set a date for the ceremony.
“September 1, 2013,” she replied. “You’re more than welcome to attend our wedding.” Shutts, originally from Montpelier, Ohio, is deployed from the 121st Logistics Readiness Squadron of the 121st Air Refueling Wing, Ohio Air National Guard, located at Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. She was one of 10 deployed troops from around the world who at was nominated and chosen to receive a Christmas phone call from the president. She is nearing the end of a sixmonth deployment to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, where she started off in aerial port, and for the last five months has worked as an
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Senior Airman Keshia Shutts received a Christmas morning phone call from President Barack Obama while deployed at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The Commander-in-Chief called Shutts to wish her a Merry Christmas and thank her for her service. They talked about her 3-year-old daughter and her upcoming wedding.
administrative assistant in the squadron’s command section. She was nominated by wing leadership
H.W. Bush’s fever worsens HOUSTON (AP) — A “stubborn” fever that kept former President George H.W. Bush in a hospital over Christmas has gotten worse, and doctors have put him on a liquids-only diet, his spokesman said Wednesday. Jim McGrath, Bush’s spokesman in Houston, had said earlier in the day that the fever had gone away, but he later corrected himself.
PHOTOS BY AMY OBERLIN
Snowy conditions Snow fell throughout Wednesday with gusty winds creating drifts and poor visibility for drivers in some places. It blanketed trees and grass with white and created a wintery scene at the Trine State Recreational Area of S.R. 127 on Seven Sisters Lakes Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for Steuben County. Roads became snow covered and snow plows began moving in Angola and throughout the county after noon. No major crashes were reported Wednesday. The snow was expected to continue through the evening with an additional accumulation of up to an inch.
to receive the call from President Obama in recognition of her SEE SOLDIER, PAGE A6
Assad’s position weakens
Let It Snow
Wood burner blaze damages home FREMONT — No one was injured at a house fire Wednesday started by a wood burner inside a home at 5855 East C.R. 540N. The Fremont Fire Department responded to a residence at 1:53 p.m. The first arriving units found heavy smoke coming from the second story of the home. Fire had spread from the first floor through the walls into the second floor and an attic area, according to Fremont Fire Chief Eric Hufnagle. The fire was reported as under control at 2:28 p.m. Fire units remained on the scene until 4:25 p.m. The fire did an estimated $20,000 in damage to the residence. Assisting at the scene were the Clear Lake Police Department, Steuben County EMS and REMC. The Angola Fire Department was put on standby to cover Fremont’s station.
75 cents
BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s wounded interior minister cut short his treatment at a Beirut hospital Wednesday and returned home for fear of being arrested by Lebanese authorities, while Syria’s chief of military police defected to the opposition, becoming one of the highest-ranking officers to switch sides. The twin developments reflected the deepening isolation of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, which has suffered a number of setbacks on the battlefield as well. In the latest challenge, rebels launched a massive attack on a military base in the northern province of Idlib after laying siege to it for weeks. The defector, Maj. Gen. AbdulAziz Jassem al-Shallal, becomes one of the most senior members of Assad’s regime to join the opposition during the 21-month-old revolt against his authoritarian rule. Al-Shallal appeared in a video aired on Arab TV late Tuesday saying that he was casting his lot with “the people’s revolution.” He said the military “has become a gang for killing and destruction,” and he accused it of “destroying cities and villages and committing massacres against our innocent people who came out to demand freedom.” Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar, who was wounded in a suicide bombing Dec. 12 in Damascus and was brought to Beirut for treatment a week ago, left the hospital early SEE SYRIA, PAGE A6
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Index • Classified ............................................B6-B8 Life ..............................................................A5 Obituaries ..................................................A4 Opinion........................................................B4 Sports ..................................................B1-B3 Weather......................................................A6 TV/Comics ................................................B5 Vol. 155 No. 356
Pizza, movies were fare for Steuben County holidays BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcnews.net
ANGOLA — Holiday revelers wanted their fill of pizza and movies on Christmas Day, as only a few businesses were open in Angola. Pizza King was open for dinner from 5-10 p.m. and was jammed to near capacity. Staff rushed around serving hungry customers and taking even more orders by phone. Angel Wicker, manager, and her staff all volunteered to work. “Most of us have nothing to do,” Wicker said in-between pizza orders. “Those of us with kids, they go to their other parents.” Business was also brisk at Family Video, which opened at noon. Three employees volunteered to work Christmas and were all in good spirits.
“We’ve been pretty busy,” said Hanna Hewes, clerk. “We had Christmas with family already. Someone has to do it and I don’t have kids.” Family Video was all out of the holiday classic “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and “The Polar Express.” Thompson Customers were also rushing in to rent games and the movie “Trouble With the Curve.” “I work every Christmas for the last four years,” said clerk Courtney Monroe. “It’s fine with me. All my family stuff is done.” SEE CHRISTMAS, PAGE A6
Angola’s Civil War Monument on Christmas Day glistens with holiday lights and carols play over speakers. Only a few businesses, like the Strand Theatre in Public Square, were open.