Saturday, March 5, 2016 The Commercial Review Portland, Indiana 47371 www.thecr.com 75 cents Police confirm Student-centered knife is 300 being 300 287 tested 268 By MATT BONESTEEL and ELAHE IZADI The Washington Post 241 The Los Angeles Police 250 Department confirmed the existence of a knife found years ago on the Brent - wood property that once belonged to former NFL star O.J. Simpson, who in E 1995 was acquitted in the 200 stabbing death of his ex- n wife Nicole Brown Simp - r son and her friend Ron Goldman. The announce - o ment sparked a fresh wave l of interest in the case, but the discovery likely will l 150 have little legal ramifica - m tion. Capt. Andrew Neiman, e an LAPD media relations officer, said during a news n conference that investiga - t 100 tors became aware of the knife in February after a retired officer brought it to their attention. Neiman would not describe the knife or where it was found on the property, citing an 50 investigation by the department’s open-case team. “We need to determine if it’s evidence,” he said. “If it’s not, how do we prove one way or another that it’s not?” TMZ, which first report - 12 11 10 987654321K ed the knife’s existence Friday morning, said it Grade was discovered by a con - struction worker at the for - The Commercial Review Graphic/Ray Cooney mer Simpson property at some point in the past, any - Enrollment has played a key roll in Jay School Board’s discussion of the possibility of closing schools. The graph where from several years above shows the enrollment in each grade for the current school year. The senior class is the largest in the corporation at ago to 1998, when the house 300 students, while the fourth grade class is the smallest at 241. was demolished by its next owner. The construction worker gave the knife to an off-duty LAPD officer who was working security in Fund $ follow declining enrollment the vicinity of the house. By RAY COONEY changed even more dra - budget surplus The corporation had drop of 5 percent over a The officer, whom Neiman The Commercial Review matically in 2009, and ($196,141). The corpora - more than 3,650 stu - five-year period. said worked in the LAPD When it comes to the now none of Jay School tion saw a drop of more dents at the beginning “In general, we’ve had Traffic Division and first half of the budget Corporation’s general than $1.1 million in gen - of the 2010 school year some enrollment retired in the late 1990s, equation — income — fund revenue comes eral fund revenue to before the consistent declines,” said Jay kept it until last month, students are the key. from property taxes. $23.9 million in 2010. decline began. In Sep - Schools superintendent when he turned it over to Schools in Indiana for Responsibility for the State support has tember 2011, that num - Tim Long. “As we look at LAPD investigators. decades relied on local general fund has been reached at least $24.6 ber had dropped to our class sizes, even Neiman confirmed that property taxes for most shifted to the state, and million each year since 3,621. though they’re kind of the department has begun of their general fund the amount of money 2011, but it remains a By far the most dras - stabilizing, it appears, at testing the knife for hair, revenue. available is based on moving target. It was tic decline came the around that 250 to 260 fingerprints, DNA and That began to change enrollment. Corpora - $25.4 million in 2014 next year, as enrollment mark, the reality of it is other biological evidence. in the late 1970s, when tions receive a specified before dropping to $24.7 for the 2012-13 school we’ve probably seen Neiman said it’s possible instead of 60 percent of amount — about $7,000 million in 2015, and now year plummeted by 138 some of our bigger class - for investigators to find the general fund coming — per student based on is subject to change students. The decline es go through the high DNA evidence years after a from property taxes and the school funding for - twice a year. Enrollment has been more gradual school level and out.” crime. “We’re hopeful,” he 40 percent from the mula. counts are taken in Sep - since then — there was Jay Schools adminis - said. state, those funding lev - Those changes have tember and February, even a slight increase of trators are projecting Early on the morning of els were reversed, with resulted in fluctuating and the state basic grant three students between another drop in enroll - June 13, 1994, Nicole Simp - the state picking up 60 financial support for is adjusted accordingly. September 2013 and 2014 ment next year follow - son and Goldman were percent and only 40 per - Jay Schools. General — but it has continued. ing the graduation of found dead from multiple cent of the general fund fund revenues peaked at What’s the trend? Enrollment as of the what is currently the stab wounds outside O.J. coming from property $25.1 million in 2009, the Jay County’s overall beginning of the cur - largest class in the cor - Simpson’s condo in Brent - taxes. last year in which it had enrollment trend has rent school year was at poration. wood. Nicole Simpson was The funding situation a significant year-end been downward. 3,452, representing a See Declining page 2 nearly decapitated and had defensive wounds on her hands. Quickly identified Correction: Friday’s first story in this series was incorrect in stating that it is recommended that a school system should have a year-end bal - as a suspect, O.J. Simpson ance equal to 12 to 15 percent of its annual spending. Business manager Brade DeRome said at the Jay School Board’s meeting in August that Indi - surrendered to police four ana Association of School Business Officials recommends maintaining an ending cash balance of 8 to 12 percent of annual spending. That would be days later at his Brentwood about $2 million for Jay County on the low end and about $3 million on the high end. Over the years, Jay School Board has expressed a desire to mansion after a slow-speed have its balance come in at about $3 million. The corporation’s 2015 year-end balance of $1.68 million is 6.7 percent of its annual spending. highway chase that was televised to millions on tel - evision. Three supreme court finalists announced INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indi - Kincaid graduated from Loyola the Indiana School of Law and Pence’s predecessor and fel - 75. His departure will mean ana’s Judicial Nominating Com - University of Chicago School of was an associate in the Chicago low Republican, Mitch Daniels, four of the court’s five justices mission on Friday named the Law in 1997 and after private law firm Kirkland and Ellis appointed Justice Steven David will have been appointed since three finalists it is recommend - practice became a judge in 2003. before joining the staff of Indi - in 2010 and Justice Mark Massa 2010. ing to Gov. Mike Pence to fill an Hostetler graduated in 1983 ana’s attorney general’s office. He and Justice Loretta Rush in Twenty-nine people applied upcoming vacancy on the state’s from Indiana University School returned to private practice in 2012, after the retirements of for the vacancy on the bench. Supreme Court. of Law in 1983, worked for a Indianapolis in 2001. three members of the court. The seven-member commission The commission selected St. Mishawaka law firm and the St. One of the three will replace Rush was named the court’s conducted a first round of inter - Joseph Superior Judge Steven L. Joseph County Sheriff’s Depart - retiring Justice Brent Dickson. chief justice in 2014. views in mid-February with the Hostetler, Boone Superior Judge ment before ascending to the Pence will have 60 days to select Dickson will step down April field of 29 applicants for Dick - Matthew C. Kincaid and attorney bench in 2013. his first appointment to the 29 before reaching the court’s son’s job and chose the 15 semi - Geoffrey G. Slaughter. Slaughter is a 1989 graduate of state’s highest court. mandatory retirement age of finalists in February. Weather In review Coming up Jay County Solid Waste Man - agement District will have two The high temperature Friday sunny skies Sunday with a high recycling trailers from 9 a.m. to Monday — Results of the in Portland was 34 degrees. of 49. Sunday evening’s low will noon today: SAHS boys basketball team’s Snow and freezing rain are be 38. •Marsh parking lot, Portland. sectional championship game. possible until early afternoon The temperature is expected Immaculate Conception CYO. today before turning to rain. The to spike to a high of 62 Monday •Will’s IGA, Redkey. Redkey Wednesday — Columnist is high will be 34, and tonight’s low under partly cloudy skies. Lions Club. ready for baseball season. will be 28. For an extended forecast, see •Across from Salamonia Back in the Saddle. The forecast calls for mostly page 2. Park. Salamonia Voluntee Fire Department. The Commercial Review Page 2 Local Saturday, March 5, 2016 Declining ... Continued from page 1 each grade level for a total of Westlawn building and moving which they were initially their children to a neighboring The Jay County High School 320.