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Weather Mostly sunny, high 92, chance of showers late. Tonight’s low in mid-60s. Page A6 Angola, Indiana
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013
BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com
Carnegie Public Library to host young adult book club
AMY OBERLIN
Isaiah Mortorff, a senior at Angola High School, stands outside the school Tuesday morning after the news was disseminated that he was among 16,000 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists in the nation.
ANGOLA — The Mortorff family has another National Merit Scholarship semifinalist. Isaiah Mortorff, the son of Wayne and Cinnamon Mortorff of Pleasant Lake, is among around 16,000 students across the nation who will be considered for around 8,000 National Merit Scholarships worth about $35 million. His sister, Meleah, was a finalist in the competition in 2012. “My sister helped me learn to read at 5,” said Isaiah. “God has blessed me with an intelligent family.” Isaiah has been taking advanced placement classes the last two years at Angola High School and has been involved in track and cross country throughout his high school and junior high career. Last year, he was on the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches’ Academic All-State Team
for cross country, in part due to his success on the preliminary SAT and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. “He’s been a great student,” said Cinnamon, the mother of two more Metropolitan School District of Steuben County students, Josiah, seventh grade, and Jedidiah, first grade at Pleasant Lake Elementary School. Isaiah’s favorite subject is science, and he is considering a career in environmental science. His favorite course at AHS was Tony Wright’s chemistry class, which he said was fun and challenging. He is in the National Honor Society and is a leader in a group started by Meleah and John Wilson a couple of years ago, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The group, which has about 30 members, meets weekly and hosts occasional social activities. A member of Fairview Missionary Church, Isaiah remains active with the church youth
Children welcome to give choir a try WATERLOO — The DeKalb Community Children’s Choir has kicked off the season and has about 20 youngsters in the program for its inaugural year. The choir has children from all over northeast Indiana, including the communities of Angola, Kendallville, Auburn, Waterloo, Butler and Garrett. The choir will host a “Try Us” session Sept. 19 from 5-6:30 p.m. at DeKalb Middle School for anyone who is interested in learning more. Children will work with the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir artistic director Jonathan Busarow, eat a light dinner with choir members and present a demonstration for parents at 6:20 p.m. “We’re pleased with the response and want to continue to let members of the Steuben, Noble and DeKalb communities know there’s still time to get involved with the program,” said Fort Wayne Children’s Choir executive director Denice Beights. “If children decide afterward they are interested in joining the program, they are welcome to do so.” To register, call the children’s choir office at 481-0481.
Age creeps up on us Age creeps up on us all, and that includes our pets. There are places humans can move, but there are no assisted living facilities for our aging pets. What can we do to ease the aging process for our fur-covered friends? READ MORE ON PAGE A5
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Index • Classified.............................................. B7-B8 Life.................................................................A5 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion ........................................................B4 Sports.................................................... B1-B3 Weather........................................................A6 TV/Comics ..................................................B6 Vol. 156 No. 250
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Mortorff in run for Merit
GOOD MORNING
ANGOLA — A Young Adult Book Club will be held at Carnegie Public Library, 322 S. Wayne St. The first meeting will be Thursday at 4 p.m. All middle and high school students who enjoy reading are welcome to discuss summer reads. Next month’s meeting will be at 4 p.m. Oct. 10. For more details, call 665-3362.
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SEE MORTORFF, PAGE A6
Obama delays vote President hopes diplomacy can end threat of war
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama told the nation from the White House on JENNIFER DECKER Wednesday night that diplomacy suddenly holds “the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons” in Syria without use In honor of the popular building blocks, LEGO, the who were making creations Monday were, from of force, but he declared the U.S. Fremont Public Library has a club that meets the left, Conner Slee, 8; Jorden Fisher, 7 and Michael military will “be ready to respond” second Monday of each month at 3:30 p.m. Boys Fisher, 5. against President Bashar Assad if other measures fail. For now, Obama said he had asked congressional leaders to postpone a vote on legislation he has been seeking to authorize the use Obama “You’re going to have a hard county can’t do any more,” asked BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com of military force time finding a cap,” said Bobbi Councilwoman Ruth Beer. against Syria. ANGOLA — Steuben County Gilbert, juvenile probation officer. The county has to have a In a 16-minute speech, the Council members were briefed by Gilbert said she doesn’t see place to detain juveniles, and president repeatedly offered reassurSteuben Circuit Court Judge Allen an end to problems with juvenile the only other alternatives in ances that even the failure of Wheat on the need for additional delinquents. She said the offenders the immediate area would cost diplomacy — in promised talks at the funding to pay for juvenile are getting younger, more violent between $200 and $250 a night, United Nations or elsewhere — would detention on Tuesday. and mentally challenged. Wheat said. With Cedar Bridge, not plunge America into another war. Wheat expects to return to the The only alternatives would be the county pays $99 a night. “I will not put American council in October to seek more to put more children on probation, Through July, the county has money to house juvenile offenders but there are certain cases where used 582 of the bed nights it has boots on the ground in Syria,” in Cedar Bridge, Muncie. the offenders have to be placed in contracted for with Cedar Bridge. he promised. “I will not pursue Wheat is going to request some sort of detention. Another It has about 238 nights remaining an open-ended action like Iraq or nearly $15,000 in additional funds alternative is placing children in on the contract to get through the Afghanistan. I will not pursue a prolonged air campaign like Libya to house juveniles. The county has Indiana Department of Corrections end of the year. or Kosovo.” allocated $119,474 for juvenile facilities, but that, too, is a lengthy Cedar Bridge provides “This would be a targeted detention in 2013. process that does not address detention along with counseling strike to achieve a clear objective: “It’s getting to be a lot of immediate needs of incarceration. and education. Transportation to deterring the use of chemical money and we don’t know where By law, juveniles can’t be placed and from the facility is provided. weapons and degrading Assad’s it can be capped, where it can be in facilities that also house adults. “It’s going to be one of those capabilities,” he said. contained,” said Councilman Dan Court reporter Deb Arnett said situations where we’re damned The speech capped a frenzied Caruso. it takes about three months to if we do and we’re damned if we 10-day stretch of events that began “We really do try to minimize place a child with the DOC. don’t,” said Councilman F. Mayo when he unexpectedly announced costs,” Wheat said. “At what point do we say the Sanders. he was stepping back from a threatened military strike and instead asking Congress first to pass legislation authorizing the use of such force against Assad. With public opinion polls consistently showing widespread opposiDuring a preliminary event tion to American military intervenfor this week’s Miss America tion, the White House has struggled pageant, Miss Indiana Terrin mightily to generate support among Thomas of Auburn, center, tries lawmakers — liberal Democrats a ride at Steel Pier amusement and conservative Republicans park on the Boardwalk in alike — who have expressed fears Atlantic City, N.J. With her are of involvement in yet another Miss Georgia Carly Mathis, left, war in the Middle East and have and Miss South Dakota Tessa questioned whether U.S. national Dee. Thomas began competisecurity interests were at stake in tion Tuesday with an interview Syria. Obama had trouble, as well, by judges and the swimwear building international support for a and evening gown preliminary military attack designed to degrade rounds. Tonight, she will sing in Assad’s military. the talent category. In the final Suddenly, though, events took preliminary round, Thomas will another unexpected turn this answer a question on stage week. First Russia and then Syria Thursday night. The finals of the reacted positively to a remark pageant will be broadcast live from Secretary of State John Kerry on the ABC television network indicating that the crisis could be Sunday at 9 p.m. defused if Damascus agreed to PHOTO CONTRIBUTED put its chemical weapons under international control.
LEGO club builds at Fremont Library
Juvenile detention costs rising
Atlantic City fun