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September 8, 2013
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Weather Partly sunny with a high of 82. 20 percent chance of rain. Page B7
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Kendallville, Indiana
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Cities Keeping Up with the Times
GOOD MORNING
Going by the Facebook
Hoosiers protest U.S. action in Syria INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — About 150 protesters clustered around the Indiana Statehouse to oppose possible U.S. military action in Syria. Many of the people in the crowd Saturday waved American and Syrian flags. The Indianapolis rally was organized by St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. President Barack Obama has called on Congress to approve the use of military force in the wake of a deadly chemical weapons attack his administration blames on the Syrian government. The Indianapolis Star reports some protesters question the evidence of an attack. Small rallies were also held in Time Square in New York City and outside the White House in Washington.
Stork detained as spy in Egypt found dead CAIRO (AP) — A stork once detained by Egyptian authorities on suspicion of being a winged spy has been found dead. Mahmoud Hassib, the head of Egypt’s southern protected areas, said Saturday that local residents found the dead bird on an island in the Nile, south of the ancient city of Aswan. In August, a local resident found the stork in Egypt’s Qena governorate, some 450 kilometers (280 miles) southeast of Cairo. Both he and police were suspicious of the European wildlife tracker found on it. Authorities later let the bird go. However, controversy trails the bird into death. An Egyptian wildlife organization claimed on its Facebook page the bird was “eaten by local villagers.” Hassib denied that the bird had been eaten, though he didn’t know an exact cause of death.
Area municipalities embracing social media to spread information, connect BY AARON ORGAN aorgan@kpcmedia.com
Social media was once strictly for the younger generation as a means to communicate and share with their peers. How times have changed. Now, millions upon millions of users share everything from breaking world news to what’s for dinner. New users join by the thousands every day. And it’s not just for individuals anymore. As businesses have begun using social media as free advertising and a way to meet and greet customers, governments around the world — and locally — have turned to popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to share their news and happenings and interact with their residents in a way not possible years ago. Chris Schweitzer, as head of Auburn’s information systems department, runs the city’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, which have distinct, strong followings. Schweitzer said the city uses social media to communicate information and happenings to its residents, and it has become embedded in his staff’s daily work processes. Using Facebook and Twitter to pump out information to residents on parks department events or Auburn SEE SOCIAL MEDIA, PAGE A6
kpcnews.com Sports > Pro Football
“According
to the people that really monitor that, it seems to be the people from out of town who are using that more than the website. We really do try to put as much as we can on there, and we’re planning on using it more and more; it’s just a way of life.”
“Everybody checks their Facebook every single day, so she said if you really want to get something out and you want it to travel fast, you should let people know.”
PRO FOOTBALL Check out the latest pro football news and photos
The cities of Auburn and Angola and the town of LaGrange all have their own Facebook pages. Mayor Suzanne Handshoe of Kendallville uses her personal page to spread city news. Cities are using social media to communicate information about events and news and to connect with its residents.
Kendallville Mayor Suzanne Handshoe On how her daughter encouraged her to use Facebook
Angola Mayor Richard Hickman
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Index • Classified.............................................. D5-D6 Life................................................................ C1 Obituaries.....................................................A4 Opinion ........................................................B5 Business ......................................................B7 Sports.................................................... B1-B4 Weather.......................................................B7 Vol. 104 No. 247
Area faith-based schools balance education, religion BY MATT GETTS mgetts@kpcmedia.com
In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled any kind of prayer composed by public school districts, even nondenominational prayer, is unconstitutional government sponsorship of religion. The nation’s highest court has upheld that decision over the years, but parents in northeastern Indiana can choose an educational setting where prayer is not only allowed but encouraged without sacrificing high academic standards. In northeastern Indiana, there are four faith-based schools: Lakewood Park School in Auburn, St. John Lutheran School in Kendallville, St. Joseph Catholic School in Garrett and St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic School in Avilla. All four schools have a history
SEE YOU AT THE FAIR MONDAY Wellness & Sports Medicine
PARIS (AP) — The U.S. tried to rally support on Saturday for a military strike against Syria, running into resistance from the American public and skeptics in Congress and from European allies bent on awaiting a U.N. report about a chemical attack they acknowledge strongly points to the Assad government. President Barack Obama prepared for a national address Tuesday as a growing number of lawmakers, including fellow Democrats, opposed the use of force. The American public didn’t yet appear persuaded by Obama’s argument that action is needed to deter the future use of chemical weapons. Meanwhile, a U.S. official released a DVD compilation of videos showing victims of the Aug. 21 attack near Damascus. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who met with more than two dozen European foreign ministers on Saturday, insisted that international backing to take strong action against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime was growing, not receding. Kerry noted that the ministers, who held an informal meeting of the European Union in Vilnius, Lithuania, made powerful statements condemning the attack, and that increasingly there was a sense of conviction that Assad was to blame. Kerry said the U.S. had agreed to provide additional information to those ministers who were not yet convinced that Assad orchestrated the attack. The EU endorsed a “clear and strong response” to a chemical weapons attack but didn’t indicate what type of response they were backing. It also said that evidence strongly points to the Syrian government. Still, the EU urged the U.S. to delay possible military action until U.N. inspectors report their findings. The Europeans were divided on whether military action would be effective. Britain’s Parliament has voted against military action. France had been ready to act last week but held off when Obama declared that he would seek the backing of Congress. French President Francois Hollande’s announcement appeared to catch French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius off guard. Earlier on Friday, Fabius told EU foreign ministers that there was no need to wait for the U.N. report SEE SYRIA, PAGE A6
The News Sun P.O. Box 39, 102 N. Main St. Kendallville, IN 46755 Telephone: (260) 347-0400 Fax: (260) 347-2693 Classifieds: (toll free) (877) 791-7877 Circulation: (260) 347-0400 or (800) 717-4679
Big week ahead for Syria decision
TUESDAY Women’s Health
of producing high academic achievement: • At Lakewood Park, 96 percent of the graduating class of 2013 was enrolled in some form of post-secondary education and its third graders all passed the IREAD standard. • At St. John, all third-grade students have passed the IREAD3 test for two years in a row, and students have thrived in competitions from Spell Bowl to the Kleiman Creative Writing Contest to state and regional science fair competitions. • At St. Joseph Catholic School, the school’s overall ISTEP scores were the highest in DeKalb County last year, and every third-grader passed IREAD3 for the second consecutive year. SEE SCHOOLS, PAGE A6
CHAD KLINE
Caroyln Rose reads “God is good all the time” to students in her kindergarten 4 class at Lakewood Christian School near Auburn Friday afternoon.
DeKalb County Free Fall Fair – September 23-28 Visit the DeKalb Health booth in the Industrial Tent WEDNESDAY Senior Health
THURSDAY Respiratory & Sleep Services
FRIDAY & SATURDAY Kid’s Health & Health Insurance Marketplace