SATURDAY December 29, 2012
Weather Cloudy today, with snow possible. High 27. Low 14. Sunshine Sunday
Boys Basketball Scoreboard
Sworn In
Heritage East Noble
New county officials take oaths of office Page A2
58 48
West Noble Eastside
43 39
Homestead 91 Prairie Heights 36
Huntingtn North 51 East Noble 31
Homestead DeKalb
51 50
DeKalb 66 Prairie Heights 50
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Serving Noble & LaGrange Counties
Kendallville, Indiana
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Last ditch effort
Out Standing In Their Field
GOOD MORNING
Obama ‘optimistic’ about ‘fiscal cliff’ deal after meeting PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Memorial board The Kendallville Park and Recreation Department has erected a memorial board for students and teachers killed in the Newtown, Conn., school shooting Dec. 14. It has a candle lit each night for each of the 26 victims. The memorial board is among the illuminated Christmas greeting cards in a free, drive-through display at the Bixler Lake campground on the east side of the lake. The display will be up each night until Wednesday. Lights are turned on from 6-9 p.m.
City will dispose of Christmas trees KENDALLVILLE — Residents with real Christmas trees for disposal can leave them at the curb for city crews to pick up. Trees also may be taken to the Weston Avenue street department site between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Coming Sunday Top 10 Movies of the Year Movie reviewer Jenny Kobiela-Mondor ranks her favorite movies from the year, and her least favorites. Read her thoughts on Sunday’s C1 and C2.
Info •
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
Inside •
Classified ......................................B8 Deaths ............................................A4 Opinion ..........................................B4 Sports ......................................B1-B3 Life ..................................................A3 TV, Comics, Dear Abby ..............B7 Vol. 103 No. 358
PATRICK REDMOND
Moo-ing in a winter wonderland Scottish Highland cows on a farm just west of LaGrange seem to be enjoying Friday morning’s heavy snow . The breed of cattle has a heavy, dense coat that protects it from even the coldest of weather. More snow is expected today in the area, and temperatures are expected to drop throughout the next week.
Death penalty considered in deadly Indianapolis blast INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A decision is expected within six weeks on whether to seek the death penalty against the three people charged with causing the deadly gas explosion that devastated an Indianapolis neighborhood and killed a couple, a prosecutor said. A death penalty review team made up of Marion County prosecutor’s office staffers will review the case and make a recommendation, Prosecutor Terry Curry told The Indianapolis Star for a story Friday. Curry said he hoped to make that decision before a Feb. 12 court hearing. Last week, homeowner Monserrate Shirley; her boyfriend, Mark Leonard; and his brother, Bob
Leonard, were charged with murder, arson and conspiracy counts in the Nov. 10 blast that killed a couple living next to Shirley’s house. Curry said he B. Leonard would talk with relatives of the explosion victims — 34-year-old John Dion Longworth and his wife, 36-year-old Jennifer Longworth — before making a M. Leonard decision. “It is important that we share this with the
families,” he said. “They need to know this can be a 12- to 20-year ordeal before they get closure.” Prosecutors say Shirley and the Leonard brothers deliberately blew up Shirley’s home so they could collect the insurance payout. The fiery blast destroyed five Shirley homes and damaged dozens of others in the Richmond Hill subdivision on the city’s far south side. Shirley, 47, was facing mounting financial woes, including $63,000 in credit card debt and
SEE DEATH, PAGE A5
WASHINGTON (AP) — The end game at hand, the White House and Senate leaders made a final stab at compromise Friday night to prevent middle-class tax increases from taking effect at the turn of the new year and possibly block sweeping spending cuts as well. “I’m optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses in time,” President Barack Obama said at the White House after meeting for more than an hour with top lawmakers from both houses. Surprisingly, after weeks of postelection gridlock, Senate leaders sounded even more bullish. The Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said he was “hopeful and optimistic” of a deal that could be presented to rank-and-file lawmakers as early as Sunday, a little more than 24 hours before the year-end deadline. Said Majority Leader Harry Reid: “I’m going to do everything I can” to prevent the tax increases and spending cuts that threaten to send the economy into recession. He cautioned, “Whatever we come up with is going to be imperfect.” House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican who has struggled recently with anti-tax rebels inside his own party, said through an aide he would await the results of the talks between the Senate and White House. Under a timetable sketched by congressional aides, any agreement would first go to the Senate for a vote. The House would then be asked to assent, possibly as late as Jan. 2, the f inal full day before a new Congress takes office. Officials said there was a general understanding that any agreement would block scheduled income tax increases for middle class earners while letting rates rise at upper income levels.
SEE EFFORT, PAGE A5
Bachman ends run as LaGrange commissioner BY PATRICK REDMOND predmond@kpcnews.net
LAGRANGE — George Bachman, president of the LaGrange County Commissioners, said a warm goodbye Friday morning to friends and colleagues. Friday’s commissioners’ meeting was Bachman’s last official action as a Bachman commissioner. Bachman has served in local government for the last 14 years, six as a member of the County Council and eight as a commissioner. Bachman decided not to run for re-election to another four-year term last fall. He will be replaced by County Councilman John “Jac” Price, who won election as a commissioner in November. Bachman praised the current council members and commissioners for getting the job done in operating local government. He had especially warm remarks about former commissioner Roger Boots and current Commissioner
Larry Miller, whom he said is like a brother. The commissioners opened three bids on the assessor’s trending and new construction project. The program helps the assessor’s office maintain consistent and reasonable property assessments. On the advice of Sheriff Terry Martin, the commissioners are considering creating an ordinance that would help regulate door-todoor solicitation in the county. Martin said his office receives many complaints from residents about sales people showing up at their homes. Martin is asking the commissioners to require people who want to go door-to-door to register with the sheriff’s department before start knocking on doors. Commissioner Larry Miller asked Martin to first check with other neighboring counties to see how they handle transient merchants before the commissioners take action. “I just wonder how much we can regulate that,” Miller said. “It’s been going on since the beginning of time, it seems like.”
SEE BACHMAN, PAGE A5
CHAD KLINE
David Ward of Kendallville, Phil Osbun of Waterloo, and Ryan Rowe of Kendallville hang out in the icy cold waters of Bixler Lak e during the 4th annual Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day 2012.
Polar bear plunge set for Tuesday at Bixler Lake BY DENNIS NARTKER dennisn@kpcnews.net
KENDALLVILLE — The annual Kendallville Park and Recreation Department polar bear plunge in Bixler Lake will take place on New Year’s Day, Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the west beach. The weather forecast is calling for a high temperature of 23 on Tuesday, dropping to 10 degrees
Tuesday night. Two years ago, event organizers cut out a section of lake ice at the beach for the plunge. There was no ice last year, but the air temperature was near freezing. Participants are encouraged to bring dry clothing and dry towels. There is no cost to take the plunge, and each participant
SEE PLUNGE, PAGE A5