The Star - August 6, 2013

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Our View Page B4 Jobs welcome, but better pay is needed

TUESDAY August 6, 2013

MLB Drug Probe Page B1 A-Rod gets 211-game ban; others get 50

Weather Showers today. High 82. Low 63. Warmer Wednesday, with rain likely. High 84. Low 68. Page A6

The

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County won’t seek tax hike

GOOD MORNING

Budget order upsets commissioners

University of Iowa named top party school in nation

BY AARON ORGAN aorgan@kpcmedia.com

AUBURN — The DeKalb County Council on Monday said it would not seek a local option income tax or appeal for an excess property tax levy to help cover a $1.5 million shortfall the county is facing in 2014. During its budget sessions last week, the council suggested that higher taxes might be needed to

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — College students consider the University of Iowa the nation’s best party school, even though Iowa City has tried to make its famous bar scene less hospitable to underage drinkers. The Princeton Review bestowed Iowa with the top ranking Monday on a list determined by 126,000 students in a nationwide survey. Rounding out the Top 5 are: University of California, Santa Barbara; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; West Virginia University and Syracuse University. The organization also released its “stone-cold sober schools” list — led again this year by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; and followed by Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.

deal with the looming shortfall caused by rising heath care costs, higher property tax refunds and mounting delinquent taxes. Instead, council members said Monday at their regular meeting they would take other avenues toward solving the problem. “The County Council believes the 2014 budget can be achieved without additional taxes,” its president, Alan Middleton, said

Monday. “To resolve our present financial situation, it will take the focus of both the commissioners and the council to monitor all tax monies available to provide our current services now and in the future.” One of council’s proposed solutions drew immediate criticism from the county commissioners. The council sliced the commissioners’ health insurance line in the general budget by $1 million — to $375,000. It ordered the commissioners to revise their plan

SEE COUNTY, PAGE A6

Al-Qaida leader sparked closures U.S. intercepted message from chief to deputy in Yemen

Peter Capaldi picked as new star of ‘Doctor Who’ LONDON — Peter Capaldi is going from spin doctor to “Doctor Who.” The BBC announced Sunday that the Scottish actor, best known as venom-spitting political fixer Malcolm Capaldi Tucker in the sitcom “The Thick of It” and its film spin-off, “In the Loop,” is the new star of “Doctor Who,” the famed science fiction series soon to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The identity of the new Doctor had been the subject of frantic speculation, and the revelation was made with fanfare befitting one of Britain’s best-known shows — during a live suppertime television broadcast. Capaldi is the 12th actor to play the Doctor, a galaxy-hopping Time Lord who travels in the Tardis, a time machine shaped like an old-fashioned British police telephone booth. At age 55, he’s also the oldest since the first Doctor, William Hartnell.

OCTAVIA LEHMAN

Megan Thwaites, left, Miss Northeast 2014, and Megan Smaltz, Miss Northeast’s Outstanding

Teen 2014, won their titles in Sunday’s Miss Northeast Scholarship Pageant at Butler.

Thwaites crowned Miss NE BY OCTAVIA LEHMAN olehman@kpcmedia.com

BUTLER — Though her reign as Miss Ball State University 2013 is not yet through, Megan Thwaites has added another title: Miss Northeast 2014. Thwaites, 21, is a senior at Ball State University, majoring in public relations and journalism. She won the title of Miss Ball State University in January. Her platform is “Relay for Life: Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back!” She is actively involved in Relay For Life at Ball State. On track to graduate early, Thwaites crammed extra credits into her schedule taking 18 — and sometimes 21 — credit hours a semester. Her schedule load even includes a minor in political science.

Info • The Star 118 W. Ninth St. Auburn, IN 46706

Fourth time’s a charm for teen BY OCTAVIA LEHMAN olehman@kpcmedia.com

BUTLER — She’s twice been a runner-up and one year didn’t place, but Sunday night, Megan Smaltz finally won the title of Miss Northeast’s Outstanding Teen. Smaltz was crowned during the 41st Miss Northeast Scholarship Pageant. She has competed in the pageant for the past four years. She is the daughter of Ben and Shelley Smaltz of Auburn. Her platform was, “Family Wellness: It Starts With You.” Smaltz said she enjoys staying active and promoting healthy

living. In July, she served as master of ceremonies during the Tri Kappa Triathlon in Auburn. “I talked to students at the schools and encouraged them to participate,” Smaltz said. “It was encouraging to see the amount of children who got up early in the morning to race.” For her talent, Smaltz performed a tap dance. She captured the interview award and the evening wear award for the evening. Smaltz will compete in the Miss Indiana’s Outstanding Teen pageant in June 2014 at SEE TEEN, PAGE A6

WASHINGTON (AP) — An intercepted secret message between al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri and his deputy in Yemen about plans for a major terror attack was the trigger that set off the current shutdown of many U.S. embassies, two officials told The Associated Press on Monday. A U.S. intelligence official and a Mideast diplomat said al-Zawahri’s message was picked up several weeks ago and appeared to initially target Yemeni interests. The threat was expanded to include American or other Western sites abroad, officials said, indicating the target could be a single embassy, a number of posts or some other site. Lawmakers have said it was a massive plot in the final stages, but they have offered no specifics. The intelligence official said the message was sent to Nasser al-Wahishi, the head of the terror network’s organization, based in Yemen, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue publicly. American spies and intelligence analysts on Monday scoured email, phone calls and radio communications between al-Qaida operatives in Yemen and the organization’s senior leaders to determine the timing and targets of the planned attack. The call from al-Zawahri, who took over for Osama bin Laden after U.S. Navy SEALs killed the al-Qaida leader in May 2011, led the Obama administration to close diplomatic posts from SEE LEADER, PAGE A6

SEE THWAITES, PAGE A6

Auburn: (260) 925-2611 Fax: (260) 925-2625 Classifieds: (toll free) (877) 791-7877 Circulation: (toll free) (800) 717-4679

Unlicensed midwife gets year on probation

Index

Classifieds.................................B6-B8 Life..................................................... A6 Obituaries......................................... A4 Opinion .............................................B4 Sports.........................................B1-B3 Weather............................................ A8 TV/Comics .......................................B5

BY KATHRYN BASSETT kbassett@kpcmedia.com

AUBURN — Barbara Mae Parker of St. Joe has been practicing midwifery for about 30 years, her attorney told Judge Kevin Wallace Monday afternoon. Parker herself told Wallace the nature of her practice involves being with women, encouraging them and offering them information during pregnancy. Parker, however, is not licensed to practice midwifery in Indiana. During a hearing Monday in DeKalb Superior Court I, the

Vol. 101 No. 215

The 2013

for spending county economic development income taxes to include $1 million for health insurance. The commissioners said the mandate means they cannot tackle a list of major projects that were earmarked for economic development income tax funds. They said they will shop for a bargain-basement health insurance package for county employees that covers only catastrophic events. In their own meeting later

judge placed Parker on probation for one year and ordered her to stop practicing midwifery until she has a valid license or certificate from the state of Indiana. Parker, of the 5500 block of C.R. 75-A, pleaded guilty to three counts of practicing midwifery without a license, all Class B misdemeanors. The charges originally were filed as more serious Class D felonies. During Monday’s hearing, DeKalb County Prosecutor ClaraMary Winebrenner reduced the charges to Class B misdemeanors.

Parker received a 180-day suspended sentence on each count. Two of the sentences will be served at the same time, but consecutive to the third sentence. She was fined $500 and must pay court costs. Parker was accused of practicing midwifery without a license in the prenatal care or delivery of four infants in August 2012. Two of the infants ultimately died. Parker admitted she was acting as a midwife for a woman on Aug. SEE UNLICENSED, PAGE A6

“There’s no evidence whatsoever that Ms. Parker’s practice ... contributed in any way to those deaths.” Joe Carlin Defense attorney

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