Biomet, Miller Top Stories Of 2006
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
What can one person do?
If that person is Dane Miller, one person can do enough to be the top local news story of 2006.
To determine the top 10 stories of the year, front page news stories were reviewed and then voted on by the Times-Union news and sports staffs.
Sharing top news story honors this year are Biomet Inc. and its former President, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Dane Miller.
Warsaw-based Biomet is one of the world's leading orthopedic manufacturers.
On March 27, the Biomet board of directors announced Miller's decision to retire and resign. Miller was to remain a director and serve as a consultant. The board appointed Senior Vice President Daniel P. Hann, the company's general counsel and a member of the board, to be president and CEO on an interim basis.
Miller, 60, was one of four founders of Biomet and has been president, CEO and a director of the company since its formation in 1977. Hann, 10 years younger than Miller, joined Biomet in 1989 as an officer and director.
Making news again in April this year, Biomet disclosed it had hired Morgan Stanley to explore "strategic alternatives." The company had discussions about acquisitions with British rival Smith & Nephew LLC.
Then on Dec. 18, it was announced Biomet agreed to be acquired by a private equity consortium for about $10.9 billion.
The buyers include Blackstone Group, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Texas Pacific Group and Miller.
The buyers said they will use a combination of their own cash and borrowed funds from Bank of America and Goldman Sachs to finance the takeover. The transaction is subject to shareholder approval and antitrust clearance, and Biomet expects the transaction to be complete by Oct. 31. The company's stock will be delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market.
The remaining top stories of the year are:
2. On March 9, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels announced Louis Dreyfus Agriculture Industries LLC plans to build the world's largest biodiesel plant near Claypool.
Daniels, who made the announcement during his remarks at the second National Agriculture/ Forestry Renewable Energy Summit in Washington, D.C., said, "It's been a hectic year of dramatic progress in renewable fuels development in our state. If Indiana can do this, think what America can do to work toward energy self-sufficiency. In just one year, we're growing from one alternative fuels plant to nine, with more to come. We said our ag sector would be a big part of our economic comeback, and here's the proof."
Through the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and the Indiana Department of Agriculture, the state reached an agreement with Louis Dreyfus to build the project in two phases. The first will be a 50-million bushel per-year soybean processing plant, and the second phase will be the biodiesel production facility. The site is just south of Claypool, east of Ind. 15.
On April 20, national, state and local officials joined Louis Dreyfus representatives for groundbreaking ceremonies.
3. Almost a year after first being arrested, the trial of Anthony DeMarco kept him in the headlines this year.
After more than seven hours of questions, a jury was selected for the DeMarco trial Jan. 16. DeMarco was accused of molesting boys under the age of 14.
The trial resumed Jan. 17 as the jury received instructions and begin to hear testimony.
During the trial, jurors heard that DeMarco himself was abused as a child. But jurors still found DeMarco, 26 at that time, of Mentone, guilty of child molesting after a three-day trial. On Feb. 20, Kosciusko Superior Court I Judge Duane Huffer sentenced DeMarco to 30 years in prison for each of the four counts of Class A felony child molesting. The terms will be served consecutively in the Indiana Department of Corrections. DeMarco also was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.
On the morning of Feb. 28, in his holding cell at the Kosciusko County Jail, DeMarco attempted suicide, but failed.
Before his arrest, DeMarco worked at the YMCA, coached elementary school basketball, and was a substitute teacher and reserve police officer in the area.
4. Biomet again makes the top 10 with its announcement of its expansion.
On Oct. 16, Gov. Mitch Daniels announced at a press conference with Biomet that Biomet will undergo a $21.2 million two-phase expansion to its facilities that will create 260 new jobs for the orthopedic company in Kosciusko County.
5. Warsaw Community School Corp. had a lot on its plate this year.
On Jan. 10, the school board heard a presentation from the School Status and Option committee regarding recommendations of what to do about overcrowding. One option included reopening Claypool Elementary School.
Work on the high school continued through the year, with the Performing Arts Center Grand Opening Gala being held Sept. 16 featuring Broadway actress Faith Prince.
On Feb. 20, Dr. Robert Haworth was named Warsaw's newest superintendent, replacing interim superintendent Ralph Bailey, who was hired after the resignation of Dr. Dave McGuire.
By July 18, Warsaw School Board began looking at architects for new building projects because of all the overcrowding at each school, with KovertHawkins eventually being hired.
At the Dec. 18 school board meeting, Haworth announced KovertHawkins will show options and estimated costs for potential building projects to address the school corporation's building needs: Jan. 8, 6 p.m., central administration building, presentation to the school board; Jan. 15, 7 p.m., Lakeview Middle School auditorium, first community meeting on the options.
6. Denny Hepler was another local person this year who showed what one person could accomplish.
Raccoon Run Golf Course owner/pro Hepler competed on the Golf Channel's reality television show "Big Break VI: Trump National."
Each week, golf enthusiasts and friends of Hepler stayed glued to their television set to see how well Hepler would do. On Dec. 5, local audiences exploded with applause as they witnessed Hepler win the competition. Hepler won exemptions into two Champions Tour events, and was awarded waived entry fees into six events on the 2007 Heartland Players Senior Tour. In addition, Adams Golf presented him with an Adams Golf endorsement contract and NetJets gave five hours of flight time.
7. Milford is one of several possible locations under consideration for a possible ethanol plant by VeraSun Corp., but a group of Milford area residents weren't happy with the idea from the get-go.
The group against the possible plant formed and began calling themselves the Northern Lakes Area Concerned Citizens Association, even creating a Web site.
American Milling Co. of Cahokia, Ill., was interested in several properties just outside Milford, including more than 200 acres owned by Harlan Beer. Beer's land is east of Old 15 between CRs 1300N and 1350N. Property owned by Weisser LLC also is being considered. It is west of Old 15 beside the north-south railroad.
Nothing formal has been filed with the county as far as rezoning the properties.
8. Local EMS services underwent changes in 2006.
Pierceton's all-volunteer emergency medical service recently was advised in February by Washington Township Trustee Dean Rhodes that its service would no longer be necessary. Rhodes had signed a contract with Multi-Township EMS, based in Warsaw. The EMS board began dissolving the service and began plans to liquidate equipment.
On March 3, the volunteer Plain Township EMS group turned over the ambulance keys to Multi-Township EMS. Following on the heels of the Lake Township contract with Multi-Township, Plain Township Trustee Jerry Kammerer decided to contract the Warsaw-based service too.
As of August, Multi-Township EMS and Silver Lake now have a lease agreement through June 30, 2011. The Silver Lake town council approved the lease contract. South-Central EMS served Lake and neighboring townships.
9. A 19-year-old man took the life of his 53-year-old mother in Cromwell this year.
On Feb. 23, Rene Smith, of 11304 N. Enchanted Forest Lane, was pronounced dead by Kosciusko County Coroner John Sadler after 11 p.m. at her residence.
Tyler Smith, who lived with his parents, was arrested and booked into the jail on a charge of murder. He stabbed his mother to death with a 24-inch sword. Tyler's father, Ron Smith, said Rene and Tyler had been arguing all evening.
In August, Tyler pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. On Oct. 17, Tyler was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the Class A felony. Tyler also was ordered by Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed to pay a $1 fine and court costs.
10. Ground was broken for Grace College's Orthopedic Capital Center on March 17.
An announcement on the $9.1 million complex on Wooster Road was made in February. School officials estimated the construction on the north side of its campus will end in May 2007. The college wants the first event inside the building to be the spring graduation commencement.
The projected 60,000-square-foot center, with a 2,800 person capacity, will be used for Grace chapel and sporting events as well as local concerts, business seminars and trade shows. [[In-content Ad]]
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What can one person do?
If that person is Dane Miller, one person can do enough to be the top local news story of 2006.
To determine the top 10 stories of the year, front page news stories were reviewed and then voted on by the Times-Union news and sports staffs.
Sharing top news story honors this year are Biomet Inc. and its former President, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Dane Miller.
Warsaw-based Biomet is one of the world's leading orthopedic manufacturers.
On March 27, the Biomet board of directors announced Miller's decision to retire and resign. Miller was to remain a director and serve as a consultant. The board appointed Senior Vice President Daniel P. Hann, the company's general counsel and a member of the board, to be president and CEO on an interim basis.
Miller, 60, was one of four founders of Biomet and has been president, CEO and a director of the company since its formation in 1977. Hann, 10 years younger than Miller, joined Biomet in 1989 as an officer and director.
Making news again in April this year, Biomet disclosed it had hired Morgan Stanley to explore "strategic alternatives." The company had discussions about acquisitions with British rival Smith & Nephew LLC.
Then on Dec. 18, it was announced Biomet agreed to be acquired by a private equity consortium for about $10.9 billion.
The buyers include Blackstone Group, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Texas Pacific Group and Miller.
The buyers said they will use a combination of their own cash and borrowed funds from Bank of America and Goldman Sachs to finance the takeover. The transaction is subject to shareholder approval and antitrust clearance, and Biomet expects the transaction to be complete by Oct. 31. The company's stock will be delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market.
The remaining top stories of the year are:
2. On March 9, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels announced Louis Dreyfus Agriculture Industries LLC plans to build the world's largest biodiesel plant near Claypool.
Daniels, who made the announcement during his remarks at the second National Agriculture/ Forestry Renewable Energy Summit in Washington, D.C., said, "It's been a hectic year of dramatic progress in renewable fuels development in our state. If Indiana can do this, think what America can do to work toward energy self-sufficiency. In just one year, we're growing from one alternative fuels plant to nine, with more to come. We said our ag sector would be a big part of our economic comeback, and here's the proof."
Through the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and the Indiana Department of Agriculture, the state reached an agreement with Louis Dreyfus to build the project in two phases. The first will be a 50-million bushel per-year soybean processing plant, and the second phase will be the biodiesel production facility. The site is just south of Claypool, east of Ind. 15.
On April 20, national, state and local officials joined Louis Dreyfus representatives for groundbreaking ceremonies.
3. Almost a year after first being arrested, the trial of Anthony DeMarco kept him in the headlines this year.
After more than seven hours of questions, a jury was selected for the DeMarco trial Jan. 16. DeMarco was accused of molesting boys under the age of 14.
The trial resumed Jan. 17 as the jury received instructions and begin to hear testimony.
During the trial, jurors heard that DeMarco himself was abused as a child. But jurors still found DeMarco, 26 at that time, of Mentone, guilty of child molesting after a three-day trial. On Feb. 20, Kosciusko Superior Court I Judge Duane Huffer sentenced DeMarco to 30 years in prison for each of the four counts of Class A felony child molesting. The terms will be served consecutively in the Indiana Department of Corrections. DeMarco also was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.
On the morning of Feb. 28, in his holding cell at the Kosciusko County Jail, DeMarco attempted suicide, but failed.
Before his arrest, DeMarco worked at the YMCA, coached elementary school basketball, and was a substitute teacher and reserve police officer in the area.
4. Biomet again makes the top 10 with its announcement of its expansion.
On Oct. 16, Gov. Mitch Daniels announced at a press conference with Biomet that Biomet will undergo a $21.2 million two-phase expansion to its facilities that will create 260 new jobs for the orthopedic company in Kosciusko County.
5. Warsaw Community School Corp. had a lot on its plate this year.
On Jan. 10, the school board heard a presentation from the School Status and Option committee regarding recommendations of what to do about overcrowding. One option included reopening Claypool Elementary School.
Work on the high school continued through the year, with the Performing Arts Center Grand Opening Gala being held Sept. 16 featuring Broadway actress Faith Prince.
On Feb. 20, Dr. Robert Haworth was named Warsaw's newest superintendent, replacing interim superintendent Ralph Bailey, who was hired after the resignation of Dr. Dave McGuire.
By July 18, Warsaw School Board began looking at architects for new building projects because of all the overcrowding at each school, with KovertHawkins eventually being hired.
At the Dec. 18 school board meeting, Haworth announced KovertHawkins will show options and estimated costs for potential building projects to address the school corporation's building needs: Jan. 8, 6 p.m., central administration building, presentation to the school board; Jan. 15, 7 p.m., Lakeview Middle School auditorium, first community meeting on the options.
6. Denny Hepler was another local person this year who showed what one person could accomplish.
Raccoon Run Golf Course owner/pro Hepler competed on the Golf Channel's reality television show "Big Break VI: Trump National."
Each week, golf enthusiasts and friends of Hepler stayed glued to their television set to see how well Hepler would do. On Dec. 5, local audiences exploded with applause as they witnessed Hepler win the competition. Hepler won exemptions into two Champions Tour events, and was awarded waived entry fees into six events on the 2007 Heartland Players Senior Tour. In addition, Adams Golf presented him with an Adams Golf endorsement contract and NetJets gave five hours of flight time.
7. Milford is one of several possible locations under consideration for a possible ethanol plant by VeraSun Corp., but a group of Milford area residents weren't happy with the idea from the get-go.
The group against the possible plant formed and began calling themselves the Northern Lakes Area Concerned Citizens Association, even creating a Web site.
American Milling Co. of Cahokia, Ill., was interested in several properties just outside Milford, including more than 200 acres owned by Harlan Beer. Beer's land is east of Old 15 between CRs 1300N and 1350N. Property owned by Weisser LLC also is being considered. It is west of Old 15 beside the north-south railroad.
Nothing formal has been filed with the county as far as rezoning the properties.
8. Local EMS services underwent changes in 2006.
Pierceton's all-volunteer emergency medical service recently was advised in February by Washington Township Trustee Dean Rhodes that its service would no longer be necessary. Rhodes had signed a contract with Multi-Township EMS, based in Warsaw. The EMS board began dissolving the service and began plans to liquidate equipment.
On March 3, the volunteer Plain Township EMS group turned over the ambulance keys to Multi-Township EMS. Following on the heels of the Lake Township contract with Multi-Township, Plain Township Trustee Jerry Kammerer decided to contract the Warsaw-based service too.
As of August, Multi-Township EMS and Silver Lake now have a lease agreement through June 30, 2011. The Silver Lake town council approved the lease contract. South-Central EMS served Lake and neighboring townships.
9. A 19-year-old man took the life of his 53-year-old mother in Cromwell this year.
On Feb. 23, Rene Smith, of 11304 N. Enchanted Forest Lane, was pronounced dead by Kosciusko County Coroner John Sadler after 11 p.m. at her residence.
Tyler Smith, who lived with his parents, was arrested and booked into the jail on a charge of murder. He stabbed his mother to death with a 24-inch sword. Tyler's father, Ron Smith, said Rene and Tyler had been arguing all evening.
In August, Tyler pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. On Oct. 17, Tyler was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the Class A felony. Tyler also was ordered by Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed to pay a $1 fine and court costs.
10. Ground was broken for Grace College's Orthopedic Capital Center on March 17.
An announcement on the $9.1 million complex on Wooster Road was made in February. School officials estimated the construction on the north side of its campus will end in May 2007. The college wants the first event inside the building to be the spring graduation commencement.
The projected 60,000-square-foot center, with a 2,800 person capacity, will be used for Grace chapel and sporting events as well as local concerts, business seminars and trade shows. [[In-content Ad]]