FRIDAY August 2, 2013
Happenings! Movies, music, more this weekend Page A6-A7
Rome City
Drug Scandal
Council hears debate on outdoor concerts
Deadline could force MLB’s hand
Page A2
Page B1
Weather Cloudy today, with rain possible. High 75. Low 63. Cloudy Saturday. Page A8 Kendallville, Indiana
GOOD MORNING Indecent exposure reported near Shipshewana SHIPSHEWANA — A boy working near a roadside northwest of Shipshewana told police that a man in a large, dark sport utility vehicle drove by him Wednesday morning, stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road, got out of the truck and exposed himself. The victim described the driver as an approximately 50-year-old balding man. He said the man got back in his car and drove north toward Michigan. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the LaGrange County Sheriff’s Department at 463-7491.
Habitat benefit auction is today SHIPSHEWANA — The 18th annual LaGrange County Habitat for Humanity auction kicks off today at 3:30 p.m. at the Shipshewana Auction Barn, Hundreds of items, such a Queen Buggy, a 1999 Chrysler 300, a electrical generator and at least two lawn mowers will go up for sale to the highest bidders. Other items include wood carvings, wind chimes, garden lights and a toy tractor. The event is the major fundraiser effort for the LaGrange County nonprofit organization. Habitat uses those funds to help low-income LaGrange County families build and buy affordable housing. Habitat also operates a program that helps make low-cost repairs to existing homes of low-income residents and the elderly. Mont Arnold, executive director of LaGrange County Habitat for Humanity, said more than 40 quilts have been donated to Habitat for the sale. Quilts have become the big attraction of every Habitat auction. The first quilt hits the auction block at 5 p.m. At a table near the auction, 600 cans of beef will be sold throughout the day until they are gone. Habitat’s traditional “Haystack Dinner” will be available. The food tent will be open from 4-8 p.m.
NEW ON VIDEO Governor holds roundtable discussion kpcnews.com
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 or (800) 717-4679
Index
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Classifieds.................................B6-B8 Life..................................................... A3 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion ............................................. A5 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A8 TV/Comics .......................................B5 Vol. 104 No. 211
Serving Noble & LaGrange Counties
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‘You never have closure’ Family seeks ‘some sort of justice’ for area man killed 24 years ago BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — Vern Kelley turned and looked at a packed Magistrate Court room audience and said thanks Thursday morning. “I want to thank you all for being here. It really Todd Kelley means a lot,” said the father of Todd Kelley, who was stabbed to
death nearly 24 years ago in his Hamilton duplex. Kelley, of Hamilton was speaking after Mahfuz Huq, 47, was arraigned for the murder of Todd Kelley, who was 19 at the time of his death. The Kelley family has been waiting for justice ever since Aug. 9, 1989, when Todd Kelley was killed, allegedly by Huq who had previously warned others they should not date his ex-girlfriend. “Basically what we’re after is
Huq faces Steuben County judge BY MIKE MARTURELLO mmarturello@kpcmedia.com
ANGOLA — A stoic Mahfuz Huq faced Steuben County Magistrate Randy Coffey on Thursday during an initial hearing on a charge of murder, an act police allege Huq Huq committed 24 years ago next Friday.
SEE HUQ, PAGE A8
SEE CLOSURE, PAGE A8
New name makes an IMPACT
Bennett resigns Florida post
It’s more than a four-county vocational school BY DENNIS NARTKER dnartker@kpcmedia.com
KENDALLVILLE — IMPACT Institute. That’s the new name for the Four County Area Vocational Cooperative, unveiled Thursday before elected officials, school administrators, teachers, students and staff at the Dowling Street campus. “It’s about making an educational impact,” said IMPACT Institute director Tim Holcomb, as the name and logo were uncovered on the campus entry sign. The rebranding ceremony included historical highlights and information about the name change. Comments came from state Sen. Sue Glick, R-LaGrange, Kendallville Mayor Suzanne Handshoe, IMPACT Institute assistant director James Walmsley and the institute’s marine mechanics instructor, Ryan Ramsay, a 2004 East Noble graduate who completed the institute’s marine mechanics program and returned to teach. Walmsley said the name change process began about 18 months ago with internal discussions. It wasn’t finalized until June 13, when the superintendent’s council, the institute’s governing board, voted to approve the new name and logo. The council is made up of superintendents from 12 member school districts in Noble, LaGrange, DeKalb, Steuben and Whitley counties. The institute has been providing adult education services to Whitley County for the past two years; Smith-Green school corporation joined July 1. “We did not approach this lightly,” Walmsley said. Institute
Huq, 47, was returned to Steuben County on Tuesday afternoon after being processed upon his return to the United States in the Marion County Jail. Huq arrived in Indianapolis on Saturday and underwent medical exams before being transported to Angola on Tuesday. He had been detained in a prison in New Dehli after Indiana and federal officials caught up with him and arrested him in February 2011.
Former Indiana schools chief says he did nothing wrong
Another reason for the name change is to eliminate the word “vocational,” because the state has worked to get away from that, according to Walmsley. The old name doesn’t encompass everything the institute offers, including adult education services and post-secondary courses. Administrators held focus groups with students and teaching staff to get their input on a name change and the institute’s future. “We’re not changing the name because something needs fixing. We are preparing ourselves for the future,” Walmsley said. Handshoe said the institute is not about Kendallville, but about the region and changing the region’s educational status.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s education commissioner resigned Thursday amid allegations that he changed the grade of a charter school run by a major Republican donor during his previous job as Indiana’s school chief. Commissioner Tony Bennett announced his resignation, effective immediately, at a news conference. He said that while he did nothing wrong he didn’t want to be a distraction to ongoing efforts to overhaul Florida’s education system. The Florida State Board of Education will hold an emergency meeting Friday. Board members are expected to name Pam Stewart as an interim commissioner. Stewart, who is currently chancellor for the division of public schools, served as interim commissioner before Bennett was hired. Emails published by The Associated Press this week show that Bennett and his Indiana staff scrambled last fall to ensure Republican donor’s Christel DeHaan’s school received an A, despite poor 10th-grade algebra scores that initially earned it a C. Bennett called that interpretation “malicious and unfounded” and said he would call for Indiana’s inspector general to look into the allegations because he is
SEE IMPACT, PAGE A8
SEE POST, PAGE A8
DENNIS NARTKER
Administrators, staff, teachers, students, elected officials and member school administrators look at the new name for the Four County Area Vocational Cooperative — IMPACT Institute — revealed at Thursday’s rebranding ceremony at the Dowling Street campus in Kendallville.
administrators hired a Fort Wayne marketing firm to help with process. Many factors went into the decision to change the name, according to Walmsley. The name Four County Area Vocational Cooperative sometimes became confused with another four-county school in Archibold, Ohio. “We wanted to create a distinction,“ he said. The institute now offers services in five counties in northeast Indiana, and the new name will allow for further expansion in the future. “It’s long, and people often shortened it to four county vocational or FCAVC, so we wanted a new one- or two-word name,” Walmsley said.
Fairgrounds to turn into Kid City Saturday BY DENNIS NARTKER dnartker@kpcmedia.com
KENDALLVILLE — Hundreds of children are expected to flock to the Noble County Fairgrounds for the ninth annual interactive learning fair for kids and their families — Kid City, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Becky Calhoun of Kendallville has served as coordinator each year since the first Kid City in 2004. “Every child who comes has an opportunity to learn and experience something new and have a great time doing it,” she said. With nearly 100 events and activities, Kid City offers hands-on experiences many for tots through middle school-age youths and parents.
Admission is free. Parking costs $2, and all proceeds support the Kid City event. Kid City has five neighborhoods in five areas of the fairgrounds. The five neighborhoods — Community, Communications & Literacy, Health & Fitness, Arts & Culture and Environment & Science — offer fun activities while exposing participants to learning opportunities and practical information. Children and their parents are connected with learning and family resources available in northeast Indiana. A free lunch served by St. John Lutheran School staff will be available for children in the Dairy Barn from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Other SEE KID CITY, PAGE A8
AARON ORGAN
Fire damages rural home Firefighters tend to a devastating house fire at 11212 N 225 W in Noble County just after 6 p.m. Thursday. Fire destroyed an attached garage and a vehicle inside, and collapsed the roof of the home’s living area. A family escaped as flames grew, with one man treated for smoke inhalation, a firefighter said.