Indiana Gazette from Indiana, Pennsylvania • 1

The www.indianagazette.com Gazette 36 pages 4 sections Vol. 103 No. 99 50 cents November 2006 Thursday 11 20 (30 26 IN Who's in the news There is good news today in The Indiana Gazette ICCY about these area people: Brian Adamchik, Courtney I. Kanyan, Jacob Anderson, Brianna Conway, Billi Jo and Daniel L. Jorgenson, Rebecca J.

and John Compardo, Holly and Brett Bingaman. Weather Showers with a chance of thunderstorms are expected tonight with a low of 50. Showers with a chance of showers are also expected Friday with a high of 2 Coming up SUNDAY: Find the best gifts this holiday season, plus tips to help keep your diet on I Weekend SUNDAY: How to avoid the flu this winter and what you can do if you can't. Inside IT JUST ADDS UP: Earning a 12 HONOR ROLLS: Blairsville Middle School, Laurel Valley 13 PORE: The Gazette's annual guide to the winter sports of basketball, hockey, rifle, swimming and wrestling is inside today's 19-25 For young readers ON THE RISE: Dierks Bentley's hardworking, fan-pleasing approach is one reason why insiders say he is country music's next big headline 16 Deaths Obituaries on Page 4 DASKIVICH, Joseph, 80, Homer City ISEMBERG, William 29, Indiana KUTY, Thelma 79, Indiana MILLER, Jesse J. 90.

New Holland, formerly of Ocean City, N.J.. and Lansdowne RUMGAY, James Andrew, 59, of Lansing. formerly of Clymer STULER, Teresa 81, Indiana Late death VETULA, Elizabeth 95, Homer City Index Calendar ...........................36 Classifieds. Dear Abby. Lottery numbers ...................2 Today in Sports TV-Comics 16 Viewpoint.

............6 Winter Sports Teddy "The real problem is what to do with the problem solvers after the problems are solved." Gay Talese, American author and journalist This newspaper is printed on recyclable paper. Please recycle. Newspaper contents copyright 2006 Indiana Printing and Publishing Indiana, Pa. LOFTY PERCH Bush: No 'graceful exit' sought By DEB RIECHMANN Associated Press Writer AMMAN, Jordan President Bush said today the United States will speed a turnover of security responsibility to Iraqi forces but assured Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki that Washington is not looking for a "graceful exit" from a war well into its fourth violent year. Under intensifying political pressure at home, the American and Iraqi leaders came together for a hastily arranged summit to explore how to stop escalating violence that is tearing Iraq apart and eroding support for Bush's war strategy.

With Bush hoping to strengthen his Iraqi counterpart's fragile government, the tensions that flared when their opening session was abruptly canceled Wednesday evening were not apparent when they appeared before reporters after breakfast Thursday. "I appreciate the courage you show during these difficult times as you lead your country," Bush told al-Maliki after nearly, two and a half hours of talks. the right guy for Iraq." It was their third face-to-face meeting since al-Maliki took power about six months ago. "There is no problem." de- TEN clared althe There were no immediate anINDIANA FIRE ASSOCIATION members replaced a broken rope Wednesday for the American flag at for the Shiiteswers mending White Township station along Ben Franklin Road. Working in the basket of IFA's Tower 101 were Sam Sunni divide that is fueling secClutter, left, of Company 4, and Mike Sheehan of Company 3.

The repair job also served as a drill to tarian bloodshed in Iraq or tamacclimate the firefighters to working at heights. ing the stubborn insurgency Tentative '07 budget calls for tax increase By CARA HUEY INDIANA COUNTY prepare for the costs associated with ongoGazette Staff Writer ing projects such as a Indiana County jail, the runway expansion at the Indiana The Indiana County commissioners on David Frick said. Stewart Airport, Indiana's Wednesday tentatively approved the 2007 The goal toward planning the 2007 budg- downtown revitalization and the convocageneral fund budget with a 1.8-mill increase et, the commissioners said, was to look to tion center at Indiana University of Pennsylin real estate taxes. the future, rather than just the next year. vania, Ruddock said.

The increase, which raises the property "We worked diligently to balance this "Given the costs today, 1 think this is a very tax from 19.83 to 21.63 mills, results in an budget," commissioner Patricia Evanko reasonable kind of approach." he said. "We average cost of $21.48 more a year for said. "You always hate to raise taxes, but know there's going to be a cost incurred. You homeowners. we're preparing long-term and we want to can't put off the inevitable.

"I think you'll see in our proposal today, a do the best for Indiana County." "This 1 mill is simply an in-the-bank kind strong plan to move this county further," Ruddock said an increase of about 0.8 of money. We're going to bank that money." said Rodney Ruddock, chairman of the mills was necessary, but the commissioners The commissioners chose to retain the $5 commissioners. "There have been some decided to add an additional mill to accom- per capita tax. which funds the county's opsleepless nights for all of us." modate the county's operational growth erating costs. The general fund budget.

with "Our increase breaks down to $1.79 a plans. a beginning balance of $865,573, has anticimonth per (property)," commissioner Adding the mill will permit the county to Continued on Page 8 December ushers in big weather change Mild temperatures give way to cold By CARA HUEY Gazette Staff Writer Enjoy it while it lasts. Milder-than-usual temperatures that have reached into the 60s several days will be cut in next week, and predictions of and possible snow showers will Denise's Antique Mall Open House December 2 3 (724) 349-4001. Driller's, Thursday: Coors Light Refreshment Team. Coors Light Specials All Day Fresh Cut Christmas Trees Now Available.

Musser Garden Center. (724) 465-5684 Gazette Subscriptions Make Great Gifts. Phone (724) 465-5555 And Ask For Details. December's arrival. Lee Hendricks, a spokesman for the NaThe National Weather Service predicts a tional Weather Service in Pittsburgh.

said high of 65 degrees today, but a 50-percent winds are likely to stay between 15 and 40 spell drastic chance of change rain in the marks the weather beginning forecast, of as a a mph "That's in Indiana high enough County. where it can cause strong cold front overspreads the region. some damage," he said. Although temperatures will hover in the In addition to damaging winds, a cold 50s on Friday, the National Weather Service front will begin to move through the arca has issued a high wind watch from 9 a.m. Friday afternoon.

Hendricks said. Friday morning until midnight in anticipa- By Friday evening. temperatures are prehighs tion of the frontal system. dicted to drop to the mid-30s. which may for the past The National Weather Service forecasts feel like the low 20s because of the high half by early wind gusts up to 60 mph, with a good winds mixed with rain and some snow severe winds chance of thunderstorms throughout the showers.

accompany day. Continued on Page 8 Hey Kids' Turkey Coloring Contest Entries Are Due In The Gazette Office By Noon On Saturday, December 2. Entry Forms Are Available At The Gazette Office. Hi Speed Call (724) 465-8100 www.indianalocal.net Holiday Open House Saturday, December 2, 10a.m.-5p.m. Village Variety Shop, Main Street, Gipsy.

Local Fresh Cut Christmas Trees: Indiana Agway, Eleventh And Water. Ladies Appreciation, The Coney, Friday, 5:00 p.m. Looking For An Internet Service, Call Your Inter.net For Special Pricing, (724) 483-0105. Mitchell Brothers Bar-B-Q Call (724) 349-3198 And Ask For Details. 6p.m.-7:45p.m.

against the U.S. presence. The leaders emerged from their breakfast and formal session with few specific ideas, particularly on Bush's repeated pledge to move more quickly to transfer authority for Iraq's security to alMaliki's government. "One of his frustrations with me is that he believes that we've been slow about giving him the tools necessary to protect the Iraqi people," Bush said. "He doesn't have the capacity to respond.

So we want to accelerate that capacity." There was no explanation from either side of how that would happen, beyond support for the long-standing goals of speeding the U.S. military's effort to train Iraqi security forces and to give more military authority over Iraq to -Maliki. A senior al- aide who attended Thursday's talks said the Iraqi leader presented Bush a blueprint for the equipping and training of Iraqi security forces. The aide, who spoke anonymously because of the sensitive nature of the information, declined to give details. The November elections that handed control of Congress to Democrats have given rise to heightened calls for the about 140,000 American soldiers in Continued on Page 8 PAGE 7 The Iraq Study Group will release its findings on Wednesday.

"THERE HAVE been some sleepless nights for all of us. Rodney Ruddock, chairman of the New Toy Tractor Yarnick's Farm. (724) 349-3904 Our Own Tomatoes, Cukes, And Yarnick's Farm (724) 349-3904 Pet Portraits By Olma Photography Horses Hounds December 1st and 2nd (724) 349 3144 Rayne Drop, Every Wednesday And Friday Pizza And Wing Buffet 6p.m.-7:45p.m. U.S. prison population still rising By KASIE HUNT Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON A record 7 million people or one in every 32 American adults were behind bars, on probation or on parole by the end of last year, according to the Justice Department.

Of those, 2.2 million were in prison or jail, an increase of 2.7 percent over the previous year. according to a report released Wednesday. More than 4.1 million people were on probation and 784.208 were on parole at the end of 2005. Prison releases are increasing, but admissions are increasing more. Men still far outnumber women in prisons and jails, but the female population is growing faster.

Over the past year. the female population in state or eral prison increased 2.6 percent while the number of male inmates rose 1.9 percent. By year's end. 7 percent of all inmates were women. The gender figures do not include inmates in local jails.

"Today's figures fail to capture incarceration's impact on the thousands of children left behind by mothers in prison." Marc Mauer, the executive director of Continued on Page Rose Inn Tonight: Laphone. Saturday: 4 Day Crawl. Sleeping Beauty Mattress Mart: Twenty Years Of Dependable Serta Sale (724)349-3340 Spaghetti Thursday. Seafood Friday, 4-7 p.m., Indiana VFW. Thursday November 30: Last Day To Use Farmer's Checks At Yarnick's Farm.

(724) 340-3804.