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From Staff Reports
After much discussion on the impact of major stories of 2009, the staff of The Herald Republican has chosen the following as top stories of the year.
In determining the list, many factors were taken into consideration, such as impact on people and the Steuben County community, costs to private individuals and taxpayers, gravity, conflict and consequences of the event or issue.
1. Univertical/Dana environmental clean up
Angola and Steuben County come to the aid of Univertical Corp., which was faced with an environmental mess in the former Dana-Weatherhead property at 203 Weatherhead St.
Dana got out from underneath an agreement with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to contain contamination to the site through federal bankruptcy protection.
It was determined that the clean up would cost in excess of $5 million, and Angola and Steuben County helped fund what is now going to be a clean up of the site.
This occurred after IDEM pointed out that contaminants had reached one city drinking water well, though they had not reached a harmful level.
Steuben County pledged $1 million toward the clean up, as did Univertical owner Chuck Walker. Angola pledged the remainder of the estimated $5.5 million clean up — $3.5 million. Dana stock received by the state as part of the bankruptcy settlement was turned over to Angola, part of which has been cashed in. That $1.8 million is being applied to sewer debt that was going toward the clean up and sewer line repairs.
By keeping Univertical in Angola, 55 jobs were preserved, plus the company announced an expansion locally instead of moving to North Carolina.
2. Fire destroys five lake homes
The fire that destroyed five homes and damaged five others on Lone Tree Point on Lake James April 24 was a spectacular reminder of the fury of nature.
The fire burned so hot that it rendered foundations of most of the destroyed homes unusable.
High winds spread the fire, which began at one home and moved to the others. It was the single greatest loss, in terms of monetary value, in the history of Steuben County caused by a fire.
By the fall, however, the homeowners had bounced back, and plans to rebuild a number of the structures have met with approval from county boards. Work is already underway on some of the rebuilding.
3. I-69 crash kills golfer’s wife
On June 21, an sports utility vehicle driven by Abigail Smith, 16, Peru, crossed the centerline of I-69 near the 150 mile marker, striking a northbound Greyhound bus carrying a semipro football team from Canada.
Beth Smith, mother of Abigail and wife of PGA Tour golfer Chris Smith, was trapped in the SUV and died in the fiery wreck. Abigail and brother Cameron, 12, both were injured. Of the 38 people on the bus, 13 were taken to area hospitals, primarily Cameron Memorial Community Hospital in Angola, for treatment.
Numerous people from the community came to the aid of the football players, their cheerleaders and employees, primarily at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, where parishoners brought in food and and a sense of caring while the team and crew waited for new transportation to return them to Canada.
Members of the 1st 293rd National Guard unit from Fort Wayne that were returning from drills in Michigan happened upon the wreckage and provided aid along with local emergency and police personnel. Members of the London Silverbacks football team also provided help at the scene, which closed I-69 for nearly four hours.
4. Local officials pursue casino referendum
After a failed effort in 2008, Steuben County officials got serious in 2009 about the potential to bring a casino license to the county.
Various municipalities and the county reached into the coffers for a total of $32,500 to be paid into a lobbying effort in 2010 at the state legislature to allow a referendum in the county to allow gambling.
That referendum could open up a move to bring to Steuben county one of two Gary casinos. Majestic Star owner Don Barden expressed interest in a possible site near the junction of I-69 and the Indiana Toll Road.
Officials from throughout the county testified at a meeting of a state legislative study commission to lobby on behalf of the county, in order to present a “united front,” especially with division on the subject in Fort Wayne.
However, concerns about Majestic Star’s financial security and a recent vote in Ohio to allow gaming have left the possibilities for Steuben County gaming unclear.
5. Budget woes hit local government
Changes in the way property taxes are determined, along with the down economy, forced local government units across Steuben County to tighten belts.
The austerity measures meant city, town and county government employees would go without raises in 2010, government programs would be reduced and hiring freezes would be instituted.
Angola and Steuben County officials have expressed the opinion that budget difficulties would be felt throughout 2010, even if the economy continues to improve.
6. Steuben battles H1N1 pandemic influenza
Few stories in medicine grabbed a hold of the public in 2009 quite like the H1N1 influenza virus. After concerns over the virus initially spread in the spring, following the first American cases of the virus, H1N1 became a pandemic.
Steuben County Health Department and others in the local health care industry were at the forefront of making available H1N1 vaccines to the public. Steuben was one of the first counties in northeast Indiana to start holding clinics to immunize the public.
7. Woman allegedly murders husband with ax
Norma Jean Mote, 44, Angola, allegedly killed her husband, Kevin Conway Mote, 56, after striking him in the head numerous times with an ax early Dec. 18.
Mote allegedly killed her husband in the upstairs bedroom of the home in the 900 block of Fox Lake Road. She phoned 911 at about 12:30 a.m. Friday to report to police that she had killed her husband, court documents said. The couple’s two teenaged sons were in the home at the time of the murder.
Steuben County Coroner Rodney Snyder ruled that Kevin Mote died of trauma to the head, court records said. There was very little detail in the charging documents against Norma Mote.
Steuben County Magistrate Randy Coffey ordered Mote be held without bail. He appointed attorney Anthony Kraus as her public defender. Her trial is set for March 18 at 9 a.m. in Steuben Superior Court. A pretrial conference is Jan. 25 at 8:30 a.m.
8.4-H Park plans move forward
After years of discussion, the county began moving forward in 2009 to develop the area around the Steuben County 4-H Park on Crooked Lake.
The county has hired a consulting firm, the Troyer Group of Mishawaka, to look into ways of developing the current park property, which could be developed into a convention center that could be used year-round. The 4-H Park could be moved to an adjacent, more level area.
Funding for the project could potentially be provided by Major Moves funds. However, there remain concerns about other potential funding for the project, which may include the sale of county land on Clear Lake.
A number of campers who use the Crooked Lake property have also expressed concern about the fate of the campground should hotel/resort plan come to pass.
9. Trine football team wins playoff game
Following a perfect, 10-0 regular season and NCAA Division III playoff berth in 2008, Trine University’s football team finished the 2009 campaign with a 9-1 mark and another trip to the playoffs that resulted in the team’s first-ever victory in the post season since leaving the NAIA.
Trine defeated Case Western Reserve, 51-38 on Nov. 21 in Cleveland before losing 34-17 in the second round to Wittenberg in Springfield, Ohio.
The Thunder ended their season with a 10-2 record.
The playoff victory was the first by a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association team since 1994 when Albion College won the national title.
10. County pursues wind power
Although a new zoning ordinance passed in 2008 provided for wind power in the county, planning department officials soon realized the provisions were too restrictive.
In the spring, a number of county officials visited Benton County, which has seen hundreds of wind turbines spring up in the last few years. County plan director Zach Michels then began the process of amending the county zoning ordinance to be more friendly toward wind power development.
The county plan commission approved the changes this month, following several months of revisions and changes, and the county commissioners have granted their first approval. Several municipalities are developing their own ordinances in conjunction with the county’s, which may become a model for other ordinances in the region.
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