Serving the Steuben County 101 lakes area since 1857
Three local men plead guilty to dealing drugs in Steuben courts
Weather Hot and humid, high in the low 90s. Overnight low 70. Page A6
Page A2
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013
Angola, Indiana
Syria listens
GOOD MORNING Pleasant Lake man dies in cycle crash GARRETT — A Pleasant Lake man was killed in a motorcycle crash in Garrett early Sunday morning. Garrett Police report Paul Denman, 57, Denman lost control of a 2003 Harley-Davidson motorcycle while southbound in the 1300 block of Randolph Street at 1:30 a.m. Denman was separated from the cycle and pronounced dead at the scene from blunt-force trauma, police said. The Garrett Police Department was assisted by DeKalb EMS, the Garrett Fire Department, DeKalb County coroner and an accident reconstructionist from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department. Speed and alcohol were contributing factors in the crash, the police report said. An obituary for Mr. Denman appears on Page A4.
Angola Neighborhood Watch meeting today ANGOLA — Angola neighbors are invited to attend the 7 p.m. meeting today of the Angola Neighborhood Watch. The meeting will be held at the International Oddfellow’s Lodge, 501 W. John St., The featured speaker is Angola Police Chief Stu Hamblen, who will discuss how to pay attention and report suspicious activity. There will be an update on the neighborhood watch and an opportunity to meet and talk with neighbors. Additional volunteers are still needed to expand the watch in neighborhoods in Angola and surrounding communities. Refreshments will be served. For further information, contact Cheryl Skiba-Jones at 665-3929.
Carnegie to start creative art sessions ANGOLA — Starting today, Carnegie Public Library, 322 S. Wayne St., will hold after school creative art beginning at 3:45 p.m. Creative classes explore a different art medium the second Tuesday of each month. Classes are for children ages kindergarten and up. No registration is needed. Meet in the children’s library.
LOOK FOR VIDEO Steuben County United Way Cardboard Boat Regatta kpcnews.com
Index • Classified.............................................. B6-B8 Life.................................................................A5 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion ........................................................B4 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A6 TV/Comics ..................................................B5 Vol. 156 No. 249
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Surrendering control of chemical weapons could avert U.S. action
AMY OBERLIN
Students walk through the halls at dismissal Wednesday afternoon at Angola High School.
AHS getting in sync with switch to 7-period schedule BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — Some adjustments have been necessary with a seven-period day at Angola High School after 17 years on a four-block schedule. Students have noticed more than the usual homework while teachers learn the pace of the shorter, year-long classes. The most frequent description of the school year has been “fast.” “I’ve been in just about everybody’s classroom. It looks like we’ve been doing traditional for a year,” said Angola High School Principal Travis Heavin. He said he’s been getting good feedback overall from teachers on what’s called the traditional schedule. It’s easier to keep the students’ attention in a 50-minute class compared to the former 90 minutes and the change adds 900 minutes instructional time to the school year.
Yoder-Fuller Ford opens in Angola BY SUE CARPENTER scarpente@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — Bill Yoder’s longtime interest in owning a Ford dealership in Angola is now in gear. He and partner Walt Fuller opened Yoder-Fuller Ford on July 1 at the former Angola Ford location on U.S. 20 at the city’s east edge. Yoder said he approached the previous owner in August 2012, but the timing was not right. “Ford Motor Co. (recently) came out with a incentive to build or renovate facilities, and that just made it all the more attractive,” he said of buying the dealership. “With the current market and Ford incentives, that made it too good of an opportunity not to pursue the Angola dealership,” Yoder added. “I just felt this was a great business opportunity for myself and my family.” He met with Scott Benjamin, who expressed interest in becoming involved as a minority partner and general manager of the facility. Benjamin is experienced in running Ford dealerships in Knox and South Bend. “Scott’s a real progressive, energetic young man, and he wanted to be a Ford dealer,” Yoder said. Benjamin and Yoder are in charge of the operation of the
AHS is transitioning from almost two decades on the four-block schedule. Angola High School was a national leader in block scheduling when it instituted the process in the mid-1990s. The majority of school districts in northeastern Indiana have gone to traditional scheduling, though Fremont High School administrators have said they continue to see good results with four-block. The seven-period day is more conducive to teaching the common core standards that will be tested by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers evaluation tool, said Heavin, who announced the change to teachers late last year. Some teachers were adamantly against the shift, while others have embraced it. “Our first day, I told them an effective teacher can teach in any situation and we have effective
teachers,” said Heavin. Jerry McDermid, who has taught history at AHS for 12 years of his 31-year teaching career, echoed that sentiment. “I think teaching is teaching regardless of what scheduling dictates,” said McDermid. He said the switch has been “challenging so far but getting better every day.” With more than 125 students taking history, as compared to around 60 at a time over two semesters, he said grading papers can be a burgeoning task. He plans to stagger written homework assignments over his classes and also start covering a little less per class, as there is a whole year to work through the material. “Eventually, I think we will get more material covered in the traditional than in the block,” said McDermid. SEE SCHEDULE, PAGE A6
Associated Press MATTHEW LEE Associated Press Eds: Updates quote in 1st paragraph; adds new 7th paragraph from NBC interview. With BC-United States-Syria, BC-United States-Syria-AP Poll. With interactives /2013/us-russia/ and /2013/Syria. With AP Photos. AP Video. WASHINGTON (AP) — In a rapid and remarkable chain of events, Syria welcomed the idea of turning over all of its chemical weapons for destruction on Monday, and President Barack Obama, though expressing deep skepticism, declared it a “potentially a significant breakthrough” that could head off the threats of U.S. air strikes that have set the world on edge. The administration pressed ahead in its efforts to persuade Congress to authorize a military strike, and Obama said the day’s developments were doubtless due in part to the “credible possibility” of that action. He stuck to his plan to address the nation Tuesday night, while the Senate Democratic leader postponed a vote on authorization. The sudden developments broke into the open when Russia’s foreign minister, seizing on what appeared at the time to be an off-the-cuff remark by Secretary of State John Kerry, appeared in Moscow alongside his Syrian counterpart and proposed the chemical weapons turnover and destruction. The Syrian quickly embraced the idea, and before long U.N. Secretary-General Ban SEE SYRIA, PAGE A6
Woman jailed for welfare fraud BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — An Angola woman is facing up to eight years in prison for Class C felony welfare fraud allegations. Laura K. Howard, 27, Angola, was arrested on a warrant Friday. In an arraignment the same day, an Oct. 28 pretrial conference was set in Steuben Superior Court along with a Dec. 2 jury trial. She will be represented by public defender Jim SUE CARPENTER Burns and was being held in lieu Yoder-Fuller Ford recently opened at the former Angola Ford of $25,000 bail. location on U.S. 20 on the city’s east side. From left are partners According to Family and Social Walt Fuller, Scott Benjamin and Bill Yoder. Services Administration records, Howard received public relief Yoder-Fuller Ford dealership. approach Ford Motor Co. about for herself and her three children They formed a partnership with becoming a Lincoln franchise, as after falsifying records — saying businessman Walt Fuller, who well, he added. that her husband did not live with is owner/investor in the business Yoder has strong ties to the them when in fact he did, say court and also the facilitator for the new Angola community, having owned documents. Howard received food showroom to be built at the current a summer home on Lake Gage for stamps and Temporary Assistance site. Plans are to begin construcmore than 20 years. to Needy Families from April 2010 tion in October with completion in He is the owner of Bill Yoder until March 2013 after marrying the spring. Ford in Garrett, a dealership Chris Shackelford Jr. March 19, “We felt it might be better for formed by his father, Ernie Yoder, 2010. the community for appearance in 1956. An investigation revealed that and beneficial to build on the His parents retired to Lake Howard and Shackelford have current site,” Yoder said of the Gage, where his mother still lived together at various Steuben planned new, 14,000-square-foot resides. Yoder’s in-laws, Arnold County residences. His address showroom, office, garage and parts and Helen Finn, have owned recorded by employers also mirrors facility. property on Lake Gage since 1966. Howard’s addresses. When police The dealership currently “We want to be community-in- went to Howard’s Angola home on employs 10 people, most from the volved and provide the best Ford June 28, Shackelford answered the door, though he allegedly denied previous dealership, and Yoder dealership possible,” Yoder said. said the owners hope to expand to The dealership has expanded its living there. Howard is accused of taking 15-20 workers. hours of operation to better serve more than $11,000 in public “The employees are very customers. professional and outstanding,” “We want to continue to live assistance that she was not entitled Yoder said. up to our motto, ‘We sell to sell to; $7,288 of it food stamps, court The new owners plan to again,’” Yoder said. records said.