In the mail...

I received a news tip anonymously in the mail this weekend. It took a while due to a change in my mailing address. To the person who sent it: Thank you. I take it very seriously and I am already looking into it. 

Remains of Korean War POW to return for Angola burial

From the Journal-Gazette:

ANGOLA – The remains of a northeast Indiana soldier who the Army says died in a North Korean prisoner of war camp in 1951 soon will return home.

The Army recently told the family of Cpl. Leland Ford Smith that his remains had been identified from excavations in North Korea.

Smith’s remains are to arrive at Indianapolis International Airport on Saturday, with a graveside service planned for Monday near his hometown of Angola, the Herald Republican reported.

Louella Root said her brother followed his desire to enter the military, with their father’s blessing.

“He hitchhiked to Fort Wayne when he was 17 and enlisted in the Army,” she said.

Smith soon was sent into the Korean War as an infantryman. Army records show he was wounded in 1950 before being captured that year.

Smith was among 22 men who were led on foot into China for three or four days, “where the surviving members recall being marched through the streets and seeing both Chinese and Russian officers,” according to an Army report provided to the family.

“There were brief interrogations, but as near as we can determine, Corporal Smith’s group had been picked, possibly at random, to give local Chinese officials a look at captured American soldiers.”

The POWs later were moved to a prisoner camp in North Korea.

“Although not singled out for abuse during their stay at Antung, these men were plainly exhausted and several succumbed to past wounds or disease,” the report said. Other POWs told Army officials that Smith died from malnutrition in February 1951.

After being notified by the Army in 1954 of Smith’s death, his family erected a gravestone in his honor at West Jamestown Cemetery.

Santa Arrives in Angola

Riding in a restored sleigh and float originally built by Charles Rodebaugh in the 1960's, Santa pulled into town and set up court at Fit 4 Life. As an antique calliope strummed holiday tunes, kids of all ages lined up to see the jolly old elf and to enjoy coffee, cocoa and donuts.

Fire Departments on scene

Squire pallet shop on fire, 7000 block of 800 W. Large plume of smoke visible from Kendallville. Multiple departments on scene. Road blocked.

Woman indicted on charges of defrauding PBS station

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) A federal grand jury has handed down a 20 count indictment which accuses a woman hired to handle the finances of WFWA PBS Channel 39 of defrauding the station for more than $130,000.

According to court documents, Gail Waymire took $48,000 donated by two entities and transferred the money into her personal accounts.

The indictment alleges Waymire, 58, used six other methods to defraud the station. The methods included the use of false invoices, the inflation of employees’ payroll, and the inflation of employees’ commissions with the excess money, again, being funneled into her own accounts.

WFWA hired Waymire in October of 2009 and she allegedly defrauded the station starting in 2010. She left WFWA in 2013.

Waymire was arrested in La Port, Indiana September 24. She was arraigned in federal court in South Bend a day later.

PBS employees referred NewsChannel 15 to Randall Steiner, the station’s board president.  His voicemail said he was out of the office Tuesday and he didn’t return an email looking for comment.

Waymire’s attorney also didn’t respond to a phone call Tuesday afternoon.

PBS is known for pledge drives that help fund the station.  It’s unclear how big of an impact the alleged embezzlement had on the Fort Wayne station.

Who's the real "ASSHOLE?" Mike Marturello, editor in chief.

A letter I was forced to write to Terry Housholder, head of Kendallville Publishing Company, parent company of our local "paper" the Herald-Republican. Please read:

This morning I had the extreme displeasure of sitting next to Mike Marturello at a Steuben County Commissioners meeting. He sat next to two old men that I could only liken to the Hecklers on the Muppet Show. I could see that they had no actual business at the meeting except to voice their derogatory opinions on every topic that came up. That's fine, I guess, but it was supremely distracting for the rest of us in attendance. What isn't right is that your employee, Mike Marturello, would join in with them, oftentimes referring to people as "assholes," when they got up to speak or were brought up. One county employee was referred to as a "lazy, overpaid asshole." When the topic came up that I was interested in, they kept it up. Asshole was muttered again, and the Hecklers proceeded to call the County home a "money pit" and "shit hole."

 I told them that was enough, they needed to shut up, and your employee, Mike Marturello, said, "No, you need to shut up." I told him, "As a reporter, you shouldn't be sitting here calling everyone 'Asshole.'"

I then changed seats before I completely lost my temper. You see, for a brief period of time, I wrote for the Angola Evening Star as a full-time reporter covering police action, court proceedings and county government. I knew, didn't have to be told, that I was there to observe, not interject myself into the story, and only speak to people in attendance if I was in fact interviewing them. Now with his college degree, you'd think Mr. Marturello would know that. I did, and I'm self taught. I'm sure you don't care about this. I'm sure you won't do a thing, except maybe show this email to Mr. Marturello and get a good laugh.

But here's the thing - I don't like being told to shut up. I don't shut up when told to by the likes of him. And I'm going to tell everyone what happened, especially all the people he called "assholes."

The Herald-Republican has really hit an all-time low. Amy Oberlin? Nice person. Jennifer Decker? Really awful writer. Mike Marturello? Obviously a bitter, disrespectful individual who's lacking in talent and manners. I think the people of Steuben County should maybe just let the Herald sit. Look at it for free at the gas station or the library. They certainly shouldn't plunk down their hard-earned cash for something put together by him.

Thanks for listening, Melanie M. Varner