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Women in the pulpit Angola women join the call to ministry
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Angola, Indiana
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Prosecutor won’t reopen child death case Group vows to continue to fight for justice
GOOD MORNING Upcoming Pumpkin Walk gearing up FREMONT — The Fremont Public Library’s annual Pumpkin Walk will be held Friday, Oct. 25, from 5-7 p.m. at the library and Vistula Park Trail. The event will feature storytelling by Lou Ann Homan, caricatures by Lee Sauer, face painting by Deb Argast, balloon art by Glenn Flint, pony rides — weather permitting, a petting zoo and trick-or-treating. A news release from the library said the public can help with the annual event three different ways: • Treats and people may be volunteered to man a station. • Treats or money may be donated. • Volunteers are needed. To provide any of the above, the library would like to be notified by Oct. 4. For more details call 495-7157.
BY MATT GETTS mgetts@kpcmedia.com
LAGRANGE — LaGrange County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Wible and self-appointed child advocate Bernadine Buccafuri of Pennsylvania both would like to see true justice done in the name of a LaGrange County 16-monthold who died in 2009. Thursday, Wible received a certified letter from Buccafuri on behalf of a group called BabyAlissaCries4Justice.org requesting that
Ohio attorney Kevin Rumes be named a special prosecutor in the case of Alissa Guernsey’s death. The letter sent to Wible reads, in part, “We believe … you failed in your prosecution of justice on behalf of Alissa Beth Guernsey and respectfully request that you relinquish any participation in this case.” The group has held at least two protests on the LaGrange County Courthouse grounds in the past year. Saying he shares the group’s frustration with how the case turned out, but that he did all he could with the case, Wible said he will not respond to the group’s request. “I guess I am going to have to keep on pushing,” Buccafuri said
when told the news. “We are just not going to stop.” On March 28, 2009, emergency responders were called to the Christy Shaffer residence on Pine Street in Topeka. Alissa Guernsey, who had been placed at the home by the Steuben County Division of Child Services, was taken to Parkview LaGrange hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police reports indicated multiple bruises on the girl’s body. Dr. Scott Wagner, a forensic pathologist, ruled the cause of death as blunt-force trauma to the head and classified the death as a homicide. A LaGrange County grand jury indicted Shaffer in June 2009 on charges of neglect of a dependent causing serious bodily SEE CASE, PAGE A8
Syria deal sealed
Bus overturns in Ohio, 35 injured CINCINNATI (AP) — A Greyhound bus drove off an interstate highway in southwest Ohio early Saturday, struck a tree and a fence and flipped on its side before sliding to a stop in a cornfield, injuring at least 35 people. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening, though several people were trapped and had to be extricated by firefighters and paramedics, the State Highway Patrol said in a statement. There was no immediate word on the cause of the crash, but passenger Christopher Lake, of Michigan, told WCPO-TV in Cincinnati that he saw the driver slumped over. Lake said he heard a woman scream at the driver “Wake up! Wake up!” but that he thinks the man might have had a medical problem.
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PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
These two photos were taken from the Facebook page BabyAlissaCries4Justice.org. Alissa Guernsey was 16 months old in 2009 when she died from blunt-force trauma to her head.
disqualify it. Whether or not it makes the record, Ferree said she enjoyed the trip. She goes on ventures with the Fort Wayne club every Tuesday, often on Steuben County area lakes and rivers. “I love the water. I love being on the water,” said Ferree. “I like
GENEVA (AP) — A diplomatic breakthrough Saturday on securing and destroying Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile averted the threat of U.S. military action for the moment and could swing momentum toward ending a horrific civil war. Marathon negotiations between U.S. and Russian diplomats at a Geneva hotel produced a sweeping agreement that will require one of the most ambitious arms-control efforts in history. The deal involves making an inventory and seizing all components of Syria’s chemical weapons program and imposing penalties if President Bashar Assad’s government fails to comply will the terms. After days of intense day-andnight negotiations between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and their teams, the two powers announced they had a framework for ridding the world of Syria’s chemicals weapons. The U.S. says Assad used chemical weapons in an Aug. 21 attack on the outskirts of Damascus, the capital, killing more than 1,400 civilians. That prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to ready American airstrikes on his order — until he decided last weekend to ask for authorization from the U.S. Congress. Then came the Russian
SEE KAYAK, PAGE A8
SEE SYRIA, PAGE A8
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Canoes and kayaks enter Suttons Bay on Aug. 31 for an attempt at the Guinness Book of World
Records title for the most boats in one place.
Kayaker joins world record try BY AMY OBERLIN aoberlin@kpcmedia.com
SUTTONS BAY, Mich. — An Angola woman made history this summer. Dina Ferree, program coordinator at the Carnegie Public Library of Steuben County, enjoys kayaking and purchased a kayak in 2010 to paddle the area lakes. She got involved in a club based in Fort Wayne and found out about the annual Suttons Bay Flotilla, hosted by the West Michigan Kayaking Club of Kalamazoo, Mich. This year, the flotilla unofficially made the Guinness Book of World Records by having the most kayaks and canoes in one place. The bay of Lake Michigan was pixilated with brightly colored crafts paddling together en masse on Aug. 31. The count was 2,099 — breaking the world’s record of 1,902 boats set Sept. 24, 2011, in Inlet, N.Y. This was the second year for the Suttons Bay Flotilla,
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Dina Ferree paddles her canoe in Suttons Bay off Lake Michigan.
which set its sights on the world’s record. The numbers must be confirmed and certified by officials from the Guinness Book of World Records, who were on hand for the flotilla. There have been some questions about powerboats that may have gotten mixed into the kayak and canoe fold, which might
The Herald Republican 45 S. Public Square Angola, IN 46703 Phone: (260) 665-3117 Fax: (260) 665-2322 Classifieds: (toll free) (877) 791-7877 Circulation: (800) 717-4679
Index • Classified.............................................. D5-D7 Life................................................................ C1 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion .........................................................A6 Business ......................................................B6 Sports.................................................... B1-B5 Weather.......................................................B6 Vol. 156 No. 254
Cruise to the Monument hits the city Wednesday BY JENNIFER DECKER jdecker@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — Car revelers will cruise the Angola strip in all kinds of wheels Wednesday. A Cruise to the Monument will rumble into historic downtown Angola. The cruise revs into action at 5 p.m. along Old U.S. 27 and U.S. 20 with various activities planned. Street rods, trucks, rat rods and anything short of skateboards and bicycles, which won’t be allowed for safety purposes, will be featured. Bud Grogg is organizing the cruise with Dan Campbell. The pair are involved with the well-attended Wednesday night cruise-ins at the Angola Dairy Queen. Grogg said cruise-ins are
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part of the fun in sharing wheels. “Two reasons we do this is we like to show off our cars and to promote Angola — that’s the fun part — driving these cars,” Grogg said. The cruise-in is familyfriendly, and the public is invited to capture the nostalgia, and for some, the memories. Just about any kind of vehicle could show up, but Grogg said such surprises are common. Some dress the part in retro outfits or in special duds. “We ask people not to show up until 5 p.m.,” he said. “We show off cars and make it as safe as possible.” Cars will be displayed in the southwest, southeast and northeast quadrants of Angola’s
Public Square. From there, the cruise will spin down South Wayne Street and around Angola. One of the best parts is there is no registration fee, he said. Good old rock ’n’ roll tunes will be spun with Retro Radio playing in the Steuben County Courtyard. In addition, there will be a 50/50 drawing, door prizes and games. Some downtown businesses are expected to have extended hours. Grogg said the event isn’t city-sponsored, but various Angola employees have been instrumental in making the cruise a reality. He will show off his own cars, a 1946 Oldsmobile and a 1979 Buick Electra Limited. This past summer, Grogg received an award
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for the latter from the Buick Club of America at the national meet in South Bend. “You do not have to have an antique or classic car. Motorcycles are fine,” he said. Grogg said another aspect is the camaraderie the car crowds have with each other. “Part of it is meeting new people and forging friendships,” he said. “What we want to do is if this flies, we will have it next year.” The love of cars, for many, continues through generations. “The youth of today will do this in 20 years with Hummers,” he said. For more details on Cruise to the Monument, call 316-1401 or 243-0357.